Rey Campero Mexicano Mezcal (70cl, 48%)

Rey Campero Mexicano is an artisanal mezcal from Candelaria Yegolé in Oaxaca, made by Maestro Mezcalero Romulo Sánchez Parada. It is bottled at 48% in a 70cl bottle. It is made entirely from wild Mexicano agave (Agave rhodacantha), harvested after 10 to 12 years. The agaves are roasted in earthen pit ovens, crushed by horse-drawn tahona and fermented with wild yeasts in open-air wooden vats. Two distillations in small copper pot stills follow, and the mezcal is bottled at natural strength without additives or filtration. The nose is warm, with roasted agave, ripe mango, cacao, campfire smoke and mineral earth. On the palate sweet agave, banana, caramelised nuts and dried herbs meet a little smoke and pepper. The finish is long and dry.