One can say that visiting Oaxaca is like you’ve died and gone to Mezcal heaven. At the same time, it’s easy to become overwhelmed with the number of mezcal options you come across. It’s like, up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, mezcal.
Then there are those that just call to you, like a whisper in a sea white noise. That’s what happened when I caught a 200ml bottle of Salvadores Mezcal Artesanal starring right at me from a little shop as I strolled Andador de Macedonia Alcalá in Oaxaca.
Its uncomplicated yet genuine presentation summoned me to pick it up. The specifics I constantly search for on a label was all there. The textured label indicated Agave Karwinskii… Cirial. I couldn’t wait to get this agave spirit home and sample its flavoring. As the saying goes, “You don’t find mezcal. Mezcal finds you.”
Details
Brand: Salvadores
Category: Artesanal
Style: Joven
Agave/Maguey: Karwinskii/Cirial
Vintage: 2021
Maestro Mezcalero: Flavio Perez Hernandez
Region: Tlacolula, Oaxaca
Roast Method: Conical Stone Pit
Milling & Fermentation: Tahona, Fermented in Wood Tubs
Distillation: Double distilled in copper alembic
ABV: 48%
Price:
Tasting Notes
The visual evaluation consists of a clear and bright mezcal. The first nasal impact is warming, with a slight prickle. Fruitful notes of over-ripe mango, and fruit skin. Dry rotten florals, with a brine aroma and fibrous.
Mouthfeel, very coating, a smooth and fresh mezcal with a medium body. Pleasant yet generous alcohol. The slight sweetness of honeysuckle with a hint of the agave roast. There is a fibrous almost woody taste, best described as a wet loofah.
Paired well with sweet fresh fruits, fruit paste, and cheese platter.
A very pleasant mezcal, and highly recommended.