Del Maguey Mezcal Vida

We had the rare opportunity a while back to meet Ron Cooper and taste all of the single-village mezcals he has assembled under the Del Maguey Brand. We were quite taken not only with the breadth of the line, but with the depth and complexity of each. All Del Maguey mezcal is 100 percent organic espadin agave, traditionally roasted in stone-lined pits, and twice distilled in traditional pot stills. The result is that each single-village mezcal has a taste all to itself, and I look forward to savoring more of each of them, but for today we chose the Vida de San Luis del Rio to review.

Nose: Scents of earth, clay, charcoal, ash, agave and white pepper.

Taste: Strong flavor of roasted agave, slightly sweet, with some pepper, quite a bit of smoke, minerals, salts, clay and soil. Huge.

Finish: Earthy, with minerals, a bit of saltiness, long-lasting smoke and a lingering roasted flavor. A very long, savory finish.

Notes: I quite enjoy sipping this mezcal on its own. It’s vibrant, with a huge flavor and a nice long finish. But given the flavor profile, adaptations of cocktails featuring tequilas and/or Scotch (especially Islay) also come to mind, as well as adding it as a float to tweak the flavor or scent of a tequila or whiskey cocktail, rather than replace the other spirit.

Mezcal Vida, (Vida De San Luis Del Rio, Mexico) 84 Proof, $46.95 in Oregon state liquor stores

(Mezcal Vida sample provided by Ms. Boozenik’s wallet)