Del Maguey Ibérico Mezcal

Bottled in 2014 As the weather starts getting cold and shitty, my wife and I usually start planning our yearly getaway to Mexico. Not this year; thanks to COVID. The best we can do is set the Nest to 85 degrees, blast some Tito Puente on Amazon music, and sip on some tasty mezcal - my favorite whisky alternative. Del Maguey Iberico is the 2nd bottle of mezcal I have opened. At $200+ dollars, it was go big or go home. Since this, I have opened about another 7 or 8 bottles (different ones, of course), and none of them are nearly as pricey, or nearly as good. The concept of this spirit just boggles my mind: it starts out like a typical double distilled 100% mezcal espadin; then they combine it with a separate distillate from various wild fruits, almonds, and white rice; and then they distill the combination, which is now considered flavored mezcal, a third time in a still that has a chunk of iberico ham hanging in the atmosphere. The resulting mezcal is one of the most amazingly delicious and complicated liquids that I have ever sipped. This is a tropical fruity explosion somehow enhanced by acetone. There’s pineapple, blueberries, plaintains, and yes, the sweet nutty haminess of iberico! The balance and complexity on the palate is incredible: there’s a mellow sweet savoriness with a full complement of herbs and spices, tartness from apple vinaigrette, and bitterness from orange peels, ending beautifully and exotically with saladitos and bitter melon. When I first had this mezcal, my eyes tried to pop out of my head. Now, when I am having this, I merely close my eyes and let them roll back into my head in pleasure. Whiskies that have done the same for me include WhistlePig The Boss Hog IV The Black Prince, Bruichladdich Black Art 4.1, and Springbank Local Barley 16 year old, to give my whisky afficionados an idea of the quality this mezcal brings. I just wish the imagination and creativity with truly treasured ingredients could be brought into the world of whisky. Score: *** (I am not worthy) How much does a bottle cost?: $200-240 How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $500

The nose starts off with a quick fruity and floral mix before veering towards a chorizo sausage being grilled over a charcoal fire along with veggies of olive oil covered asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and fried yucca then a fruit salad of mangoes, papaya, kiwi, and green grapes with a light smoke and light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium yet airy mouthfeel that starts with a mild spice of that fresh grilled chorizo sausage that then fades to light veggies of black olives, salted asparagus, fried yucca and Portobello mushrooms that transitions to fruits of red grapefruit, salted mango, kiwi slices, and diced red apples with a moderate smoke and medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with dark chocolate, pineapple covered glazed ham, eucalyptus, dehydrated mango, kiwi, toasted marshmallow, and lightly charred olive bread that lingers for minutes. This is an incredible and complex mezcal that manages to perfectly balance bold flavors of ham, grilled veggies, fruits and smoke. I wasn’t sure about the ham flavor at first, but it really adds a nice layer on top of those vegetable and fruit notes that keeps me coming back for another sip. In a side by side with Arroqueno, the spicy ham flavors of the Iberico really jump out whereas the Arroqueno seems tamer with more fruits on the nose and on the taste the Iberico has bolder flavors than the Arroqueno but the Arroqueno lacks the spice that I could see someone disliking. For me, I could go either way depending on the day, but after several side by sides over multiple days, I tend to lean more towards the Iberico than the Arroqueno. If you’re feeling more of a fruit craving, I say go for the Arroqueno, but if you crave some spicy meat, then go for the Iberico. Either way, you can’t lose as they are both just legendary mezcals that I’d be happy to sip on any day.

@pkingmartinmartin , @ctbeck11 @Richard-ModernDrinking and I had our quarterly online tasting. We had 4 pours …all amazing. 25yr Proof and Wood Light whiskey, Tears of Llorana tequila, Del Maguey Iberico, and a no name local only mezcal from a oaxacan distillery. Years ago, I took a trip to Spain. We did Barcelona , Grenada , Rhonda, and Madrid. One thing I always will remember from Spain will be the Iberico ham. They have these black footed hogs that are raised on hazelnuts. Their meat is delicate, unlike any other ham you can possibly have. It’s aged and then served thinly sliced. You can taste the forest floor —-earthy, hazelnuts. The first sip of this took me back to Barcelona and those thinly sliced Iberico ham. Says something when a drink makes you remember an amazing experience. This has all the trademarks of that iberico ham…hazelnuts, floral, but not too floral, earthy and with a hint of smoke. Thanks @pkingmartin for the pour!!!

I tried this before I realized that actual ham was used in the making of this mezcal, and was shocked that they could get an agave spirit to taste like ham. On the nose, ham. And along with it, citrus, pear, smoke, and the vegetal note. The taste is like an orange brined slice of smoked ham with a side of almond liqueur. A surprising amount of sweetness, along with the savory and smoke. I have to say this is really well done, but it's also not something I think I'd be in the mood for very often. I actually had this one ounce sample, generously provided by @pkingmartin across two different sittings, and the half ounce was about as much as I wanted each time. Tough to rate for me, as I can appreciate it and feel especially grateful to have tried it, but at the same time not be disappointed if I don't ever come across it again.

Tasted at Jose Andres restaurant China Poblano. Very light on the nose, some faint fruit aromas. The fruit explodes on your palate, however, with caramelized pineapple in the forefront, and a spicy smoky finish.

Loaded with complexity. Has notes of cooked agave, wildflowers, Violets, smoke, umami, bananas, caramelized pineapples, barbecue sauce, hoisin sauce, Figs, Dark chocolate, oranges, mint, Grapefruit, and honey.