Del Maguey Barril Mezcal

Del Maguey Barril is a special edition Vino de Mezcal series expression made from semi-wild Barril agave — the biggest and fattest of the Karwinskii family (related to Tobasiche, Madrecuixe, and Cirial) — dedicated to the remarkable talent of Florencio 'Don Lencho' Laureano Carlos Sarmiento, the eighty-year-old master palenquero of Santa Catarina Minas, and produced in the centuries-old clay still tradition of that village.

Barril agave belongs to the upright cylindrical Karwinskii family — distinct from the rosette-shaped Espadin, Barril grows in an elongated column form, with the largest piñas in the family. The conical pit roasting over hot rocks, 30-day open-air fermentation with only airborne microbes, and twice-slow distillation in Don Lencho's ancient clay still with bamboo tubing produce a mezcal with the same extraordinary floral and umami complexity as the Iberico and Barril's sibling expression from that village — carnation, gardenia, jasmine, ripe pear, and dark fig on the nose, entering the mouth like caramel, with a long finish of roasted root vegetables and terracotta minerality.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Spicy floral carnation, tropical aromatics of gardenia and jasmine, ripe pear, dark fig, and notes of wet green hay and forest floor
• Palate: Enters the mouth like caramel — round, soft, gentle, and full-bodied with a big middle palate
• Finish: Long with roasted root vegetables and umami, leaving terracotta, slate-like minerality, and a touch of salinity

Specs

• Producer: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal
• Village: Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
• Agave: Barril — semi-wild, largest of the Karwinskii family
• Roasting: Conical pit over hot rocks, buried under earth for three days
• Fermentation: 30 days, airborne microbes only
• Still: Ancient clay still with bamboo tubing
• Dedication: Florencio Carlos Sarmiento, master palenquero
• Size: 750ml

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