4 Responses

  1. Mario at |

    Will attempt to pick up a bottle of Misterios based on my tasting and am willing to take a flyer on the Shawi….will report back on my experience with the Shawi.

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  2. Mezcalito at |

    I think it’s worth noting that two mezcals in the espadin category are lower proof than the others. Shawi at 36% and Ilegal at 40%. Perhaps they serve as great introductory mezcals, but for the more seasoned Mezcal drinker, the others might provide a more complex profile. Might be worth noting the alc. content, and giving a bit of background on the judges. Any which way, looks like fun!

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    1. Mezcal PhD at |

      Thanks for your thoughts. I think you are on point on one thing and astray on another. I agree that the ABV is a relevant metric as lower ABV mezcals, in general, probably are smoother than higher ABV’s. But I say “in general” because it is not necessarily so. The Siete Misterios at 48.7% was enjoyed by all (by both mezcal novice and enthusiast) and some of the other high alcohol mezcals at the tasting were favored over lower ABV’s. But directionally, I agree with you and think it is a relevant point, and one that as “referee” of the tasting and eventual scribe for the tasting, it is something that I can and should note in the blog post. The good thing is that there is an EDIT button for me so I can revise!!

      Where I think you are a bit astray is on the spirit of the event and the goals. This was not a spirits competition but rather a group of friends getting together to have fun and learn more about mescal – most in the group know little more than that I am very passionate about it so they are curious and want to have a fun night and learn something. They are not “judges” – this was about FUN!

      That said, I think it is very instructive for brands, producers, marketers, bartenders, and other industry professionals that are interested in mezcal, to know what people like to drink. At the end of the day, what tastes good is the question we were answering at this tasting. In this case, they pretty much all did because I hand picked high quality mezcals (and only one bottle was not well received). The category is young and I think it likely that most people who dip their toe into the mezcal waters will favor a smoother mezcal – however defined. I think it is best defined by what you like to drink – what tastes good to you. It may be a lower ABV mezcal, it may be a silvestre, it may be aged, it may be high ABV. For example, while there was little direct comparison going on, the aged stuff was probably favored by most over the jovens. So in the end the tasting was about 1) FUN, and 2) seeing what people favored, no matter what the reason.

      I hope this all makes sense. Thanks for reading and commenting!

      P.S. The label on my Shawi says 40% ABV, not 36%.

      Reply
      1. Mezcalito at |

        I agree with most everything you say here. I used the word “judge” because of the format presented so I don’t think Im too off base there. Of course reading this we can see it is just for fun and crew of interested people looking to learn more. What I would like to see is simply a bit more information in the form of Alc. Cont. presented so that the reader may draw some natural conclusions that aren’t misguided. If you taste a navy strength gin next to a strawberry daiquiri, which one is smoother? Way over the top I know, but none the less it’s still apples and oranges on some level. To me reading through the article, it just seemed a bit of a foregone conclusion. You seem very knowledgable and I imagine have tried more mezcals that 99.9% of the rest of us, so I really just wanted to see your analysis of the way things went. For instance, with that beautiful Siete Misterios Arroqueño, what was it that turned those guys on about it. Was it the earthy tones coming through due to it’s distillation in clay? A bit of analysis of the results from the phd would be fun to read! (and write?)

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