Quiquiriqui Mezcal Espadin 70cl

Product Information

He offers several reasons why traditionally made mezcal is as sustainable an industry as they come: "Mezcal made with wild agave is the most highly coveted, which has sparked concerns that in a few decades there'll be none left. Some brand owners run an annual program in which small agave are planted and left to mature, and some communities only permit residents to harvest wild agave from communal land if the palenquero agrees to plant two small agave for every mature one harvested." Mezcal" without the qualifier is not dissimilar to tequila: there are ways the process is shortened to make it easier to make in quantity, but it contains more agave than its cousin. "Ancestral" and "artisanal", however, are what Scotch once was to whiskey: intensely antiquated, primordial beverages that tell stories as well as providing a great nightcap. Currently in residence at Curio Cabal on Kingsland Road, Sin Gusano is part business, part passion project, part social enterprise. Darby wants to teach people about good mezcal, and focuses on buying small amounts of traditionally made mezcals at local prices, importing tiny batches. The project has committed 5% of profits from this trading activity to sustainable growth programs and charitable causes in Oaxaca. Quiquiriqui Mezcal (45% abv) is a single estate mezcal made in southern Mexico, and is billed by the retailer as being “rich in vegetal flavours” with “a distinct smokey flavour profile”.

By following these guidelines, says Dangerous Don's Cumming, you're much more likely to find a "true representation of the magic of mezcal" – just don't blame us if you fall under its spell.In the last few years, mezcal has seen an astonishing boom in the UK: where once it was impossible to find (and believe me, as a fan I had tried) there are now mezcalerias and restaurants with specific mezcal menus. Traditional mezcal production is sustainable – more out of economic necessity and ingenuity than by design," says Alvin Starkman, who runs Mezcal Educational Tours. Starkman, a former litigator in Toronto, initially discovered mezcal in the 1990s, eventually moving to Oaxaca and setting up his tour business. Since then, he's developed relationships with 80 or 90 mezcal producers, and what he doesn't know about the spirit isn't worth knowing. Oaxaca is one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. This means it's also home to hundreds of species of agave, which is why it's become known as the home of mezcal. Espadin Mezcal is more than just another drink," says Jon Darby, founder of mezcal bar Sin Gusano, which also runs a mezcal masterclass under the name Mas (Mezcal Appreciation Society, but also, handily, the Spanish word for more)."There are so many elements associated with its production; it's a window into a different society." Botanicals can be added; some traditional mezcals are distilled with turkey breasts. The fermentation and distillation vessels vary from palenque to palenque, too – distillation can take place in anything from copper to clay, while some producers even ferment their agave in cow hide.

While many spirits start off as artisanal labours of love, only to become mass produced for wider consumption later, mezcal is deliberately – almost inconveniently – traditional in its methods. The word "mezcal" traditionally refers to all agave-based spirits, including tequila, but in recent years has come to refer to a specific breed of agave drink. Within the new definition of mezcal there are three categories: "mezcal", "mezcal artisanal" and "mezcal ancestral". Before it's used to make mezcal, the agave plant matures for around seven years, depending on the species," mezcal producer, or palenquero, Carlos Mendez Blas tells me. Mezcal, tequila's more interesting older sibling, is experiencing a boom in the UK. Archaically made and impossibly smoky, if you want to engage in the best new booze trend out there these are the bottles to buy After eight hours of crushing, the mashed agave hearts and the juices are transferred to a wooden fermenting tank, ambient-temperature water is added, and the mixture is fermented for about five days, depending on the time of year, and then the liquid goes through an alembic still.The dream scenario is that traditional methods are preserved, producers are supported, treated fairly and paid properly; brands consider ways to integrate into the local communities; and more responsible production methods as well as agave regrowth programmes are put into place." Those making mezcal in an artisanal way adhere to the ethos of 'permaculture' as much as you'll find in Mexico," says Starkman. "For me, permaculture is the weaving together of what nature can provide in a microclimate, with material goods and human needs and aspirations, in an ethical manner that sustains the complete system." Made with espadin and three wild agaves – madrecuishe, bicuishe and mezicano – Papadiablo (which means Pope Devil) is a complex, traditionally made mezcal. All the ingredients are organic, no chemicals are added and the brand also distill to proof – which means no water is added to adjust the ABV. This process is where mezcal differs to tequila. Confusingly, the term 'mezcal' can broadly be used to refer to any agave spirit, so it covers tequila, mezcal and more – and mezcal sits in its own category under the same name, just to make things complicated. Mezcal brand Quiquiriqui has unveiled a bag-in-box format for the on-trade as its latest sustainable solution to glass waste. Quiquiriqui’s bag-in-box format is a continuation of the brand’s efforts to support local communities

The agave most commonly used to make mezcal. It matures in eight years and gives the highest yield. TepaztateTequila became dominated by a few huge brands producing industrial, substandard products, and doing it so cheaply that buyers' heads were turned," says Quiquiriqui's Symonds.