Agave De Cortes Joven Mezcal

The Cortés family has made mezcal in Santiago Matatlán for six generations, and Agave de Cortés is the family's own name on the bottle. Asís Cortés — the sixth-generation palenquero behind the cult El Jolgorio single-village series and the Nuestra Soledad range — makes this with his father, master mezcalero Valentín, in the mezcal capital of Oaxaca: 100% espadín, roasted in an earthen pit, crushed by tahona, naturally fermented, and double-distilled in copper, bottled unaged at around 45% ABV; check your label. VinePair, naming it among the 25 best mezcals, called the Cortés lineage six generations deep and this bottle proof that espadín is so much more than a workhorse variety: spicy pineapple leaps from the nose onto a vegetal, earthy, fruity palate, and at the price you can comfortably make cocktails while it more than holds its own neat. Bitters & Bottles found subdued smoke laying the groundwork for vegetal ripeness and florals. Drinkhacker, tasting with Asís in person, found the family's mezcals light, fresh, and fruity with subtle, delicate smoke — a house style. Expect roasted agave, pineapple, green herb, and clean smoke, with a rich texture and a long finish. Honest note: this is the family's everyday espadín, sitting below the rare El Jolgorio bottlings in price and above almost everything else in pedigree. For a copita, a Mezcal Negroni, or an Oaxacan Old Fashioned, it's Matatlán royalty at a working price.

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