95 points – Extraordinary / Ultimate Recommendation
– Ultimate Spirits Challenge 2020
Del Maguey Santo Domingo Albarradas is a mezcal in Del Maguey’s series of single village mezcal, which shows how climate, terroir and production methods make their mark on the mezcal. Maestro Palenquero behind this mezcal, Espiridion Morales Luis, has been making mezcal since the 1950s, and today runs the distillery with his son, Juan. It is made from 100% agave Espadin (8-10 years old), bottled at 48% and not adjusted with coloring or other additives.
Color: Clear.
Scent: Citrus, pear, cedar and pepper.
Tasting notes: Spicy notes of eucalyptus, turmeric and chipotle.
Serving suggestion: Should be enjoyed neat.
Started by Ron Cooper in 1995, Del Maguey is the world’s leading bottler of quality mezcal. Ron’s mission is to make good mezcal available outside of Mexico; something that used to be incredibly difficult – even almost impossible! Helping to lead the mission is Del Maguey’s exceptionally well-developed moral code, which goes far beyond what is normally seen in the industry. They are not trying to exchange glass beads for gold, but to spread knowledge of one of the world’s most complex and culturally important spirits in a responsible way, which gives something back to the local communities where the mezcal is produced, which guarantees that the small palenques can do it on the the same way they have done for hundreds of years and with the greatest respect for traditions, nature and the cultural, ritual and social importance that mezcal has in small villages in Mexico.
With Del Maguey, the concept of single village mezcal became an indicator of quality mezcal. Each mezcal in the range comes from one unique distillery in different villages around Mexico. They are not mixed together to form large cuvées, but bottled separately, in order to showcase each village’s terroir – both in relation to the soil where the agaves grow, the naturally occurring yeast in the distillery, etc.
The vinos de mezcal series includes very limited releases of mezcal made from rare agave types such as tobala or arroqueño.
The bottles’ charming labels, which depict idyllic (and sometimes a little mystical) images of everyday Mexico, were designed by Ken Price.
