Cascahuin Tahona Blanco Tequila 750ml

Emigdio Jarquín's palenque is based in Miahuatlan among the rolling hills two and a half hours due south of Oaxaca City. A specialist in the Espadín varietal of agave, he roasts the piñas for 5-7 days, which is on the longer side compared to other mezcaleros in the region. After crushing the agave with a large cement tahona, Emigdio distills in a 300L copper refrescador, similar to a copper alembic still, which essentially allows for two distillations in the same pass. Mezcal Vago has been on a decade-long tear and the brand has become a force among mezcal fans. With the addition of Emigdio to their stable of mezcaleros, Vago's future looks very bright.

This is a balanced and rightfully beloved mezcal, bright on the nose with citrus, white pepper, and a soothing note of freshly baked bread. Gently grainy on the palate, those bready notes quickly give way to more citrus, a gentle layer of baking spice, and an enveloping, sesame-sweet finish, with only the slightest hint of smoke along the way. Chichicapa is tough to put down, and stands as one of the top bottlings of the Del Maguey line.  A  DRINKHACKER.COM

Wine Enthusiast Top 100 Spirits of 2019 Born from centuries of mezcalero craft and enlightened by the methodical pursuit of perfection, Montelobos Espadin is an unaged joven mezcal, crafted from meticulously cultivated, 100% sustainably grown, organic agave Espadin. An underground pit is filled with volcanic stone which is heated using two different woods which roasts the agave for five days. It is milled under the weight of a traditional single Cantera stone Tahona, and then wild fermented in open-air pine vats for up to seven days. Following the artisanal method with firewood heating copper stills, the mezcal is small batch twice distilled to achieve a perfect balance of sweetness and subtle smoke. This artisinally produced joven mezcal is strikingly balanced and complex, with a bold integration between all the notes that mezcal has to offer. Montelobos Espadin is an experience unto itself.