Legendario Domingo Michoacan Ensamble Alto y Cenizo (75cl, 47%)

A 47% ABV ensamble mezcal from Pie de la Meza, Charo, Michoacan, made by the Familia Perez at NOM-F369D. It blends two wild agaves, Alto (Agave inaequidens) and Manso Sahuayo (Agave americana), cooked, fermented and distilled together rather than blended afterwards. Alto takes about 15 years to mature and Manso Sahuayo more than a decade. Production uses pine-fired underground ovens for three to four days, mechanical wheel crushing, 14-day open pine-vat fermentation with indigenous yeast and spring water, and double distillation in a 300 litre Filipino-style alembic of copper and wood. Toasted coconut, hazelnuts and toasted peanuts lead, with almonds and pine, green apples and ripe pineapple, wrapped in subtle smoke. The finish is long, nutty and gently dry.