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El Jolgorio Arroqueño

El Jolgorio Arroqueño is made in small batches so they can keep the production sustainable while conserving younger wild agave plants.

Rating: (22 reviews)
Cost:$$$$
Brand:El Jolgorio Mezcal
NOM:NOM-O98X
COMERCAM:0195A0014148A, opens in new window
Mezcalero:Pedro Vasquez
Maguey:Arroqueño
Agave:Americana
Distillation:Copper
Style:Joven
State:Oaxaca
Town:Lachigui
ABV: ~50%
Release year: 2013
Website: https://backbarproject.com/portfolio/casa-cortes/, opens in new window

About this mezcal

El Jolgorio Arroqueño is made from semi-wild Maguey Arroqueño (Agave americana). Typically, this agave can take up to 20 years to mature, before it is pit roasted in a traditional fashion. Given the length of time needed to grow this elegant agave, sustainability of Arroqueño has become a concern. Fortunately, El Jolgorio only makes this mezcal in small batches so they can keep the production sustainable while conserving younger wild agave plants. Starting in 2016 (Edition 05), the yearly releases of this mezcal are packaged in black glass bottle.

El Jolgorio Mezcal

El Jolgorio translates to “the revelry”. Jolgorios are small festivals that occur in remote, mountain villages throughout Oaxaca, Mexico. They celebrate births, deaths, weddings and Saint’s days. For centuries, the lifeblood of these celebrations has been traditional mezcal. In 2010, the Cortés family began building a collective of top mezcal distillers from around Oaxaca. As of 2019, El Jolgorio represents sixteen different families, working in ten different regions of Oaxaca, Mexico, each with its own special story. Every bottle is hand-marked with the specific details of each batch, to truly connect the drinker with the family behind the expression.

In 2017, the team behind the brand realized that certain varieties of agave would be extremely limited and they would only be able to make them available once per year (if at all). They began packaging these rare editions in black bottles to set them apart from the other releases.

The artwork on the first 8 releases was created by Alejandro Peña (Espadin, Pechuga, Tobala, Cuixe, Madrecuixe, Tepeztate, Barril and Mexicano). The next 5 labels were created by Asis Cortes (Arroqueno, Jabalin, Coyote, Tobaxiche, and Cenizo) and the Sierrudo artwork was created by Alberto Almánza.

 

Arroqueno Travels on Mezcal PhD

 

Member rating

4.32 out of 5

22 reviews

masmezcal

masmezcal

14 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars2 months ago

2019
15th Edition
Layers of flavors, from ripe fruits, to minerals, stone, earth, green and herb notes. Good structure and medium smokiness, with balanced alcohol. An enjoyable finish and rich mouthfeel.

jlum4

jlum4

11 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 months ago

ed 15
very fruity, with a background of green flavors and a rock/mineral finish. my favorite of all the EJ black bottles

copa llena

copa llena

13 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars4 months ago

Tropical fruit notes and cooked agave, with medium smoke and rich earth and mineral notes. A lasting finish with hints of green notes and smoke. Very well balanced.

Ben P

Ben P

105 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars5 months ago

Edition 15, 54%

Nose: Light spice, sea salt, earth, Unami, figs

Palate & Finish: Subtle sweet, light fruits and melons, pink starburst, southern sweet tea, slightly green but not too much. Finish is round tropical fruit, slightly vegetal and wood or soil

Yet another tasty one from EJ.

WinksCal91

WinksCal91

1 review
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

This has been fun! I started off with 2oz of batch 10. It was really tasty. Got a lot of ethanol on the nose with a little bit of green pepper. Some vegetal notes on the palate. Also nice thick and oily.

I also had the fortune of acquiring a bottle of batch 13. This one is a little more toned down compared to batch 10. I got some funky notes on this one, but still very smooth and drinkable.

rsidrys

rsidrys

50 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Had high expectations and was a little disappointed at first. Started out with a petro bite and overly peppery.

Greatly improved as it breathed though. Fruity notes like starburst and fruit punch started to shine. Clean and bright with enjoyable mineral/wet cement finish. A little green agave pungency that comes with a lot of tequilas. Was interesting to contrast to clay pot arroqueno from RM that was darker and earthier.

Edition 05, 2016, Pedro Vasquez

El-Dawg

El-Dawg

207 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Edition 6 (2017)
Nail polish on nose, but not horrible. Reminiscent of other Pedro Vasquez’ mezcal distinguished by this unique smell.
Palate carries some green, cooked agave, grass. Easy & well balanced. Earthy, some candy sweetness buried in there…little harsh at the end with the ‘nail polish’ again. Not overly complex, nor blows me away…while this was a 2oz sample, I would still deduct a half a star to the high price tag (sometimes the bottle improves over time), as it is underdelivering.
Review #74

Edition 6 (2017)
Nail polish on nose, but not horrible. Reminiscent of other Pedro Vasquez’ mezcal distinguished by this unique smell.
Palate carries some green, cooked agave, grass. Easy & well balanced. Earthy, some candy sweetness buried in there…little harsh at the end with the ‘nail polish’ again. Not overly complex, nor blows me away…while this was a 2oz sample, I would still deduct a half a star to the high price tag (sometimes the bottle improves ove

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razorbackmike

razorbackmike

150 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

i waited to review this one.i had purchased a bottle about a year ago and was not impressed with the first tasting.it was good but was dark,heavy and the smoke would dominate any other flavors.about a month ago i tried it again but this time i let the pour sit out for a few hours and it really paid off! the dark qualities remained but the mid palate exploded with tropical fruit and brown sugar.it reminded me of the fruit pies that you could get at the fast food joints all those years ago but with a darker flavor.the finish was slightly short with plenty of smoke.it would have been a 5 star if the finish was a little longer.delicious!

i waited to review this one.i had purchased a bottle about a year ago and was not impressed with the first tasting.it was good but was dark,heavy and the smoke would dominate any other flavors.about a month ago i tried it again but this time i let the pour sit out for a few hours and it really paid off! the dark qualities remained but the mid palate exploded with tropical fruit and brown sugar.it reminded me of the fruit pies that you could get at the fast food joints all those years ago but wit

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El_Roberto

El_Roberto

23 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Smell of banana cream. Quite smoky with a heavy, full bodied punch. Some hints of tropical fruit but it’s smokiness and punch hide anything distinct.

Rakhal

Rakhal

421 reviews
Rated 2 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Edición 07, 2018, Pedro Vasquez, Black bottle. Tasted in Mezcalogia, Oaxaca City. Very hot, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, dirty socks. One of my favorite Mezcaleros but none of us liked this one. I’m very surprised this got bottled.

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper

12 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Edition 09 from 2018 by Pedro Vasquez. Black Bottle 233/264, 53% ABV.

Excellent powerful arroqueno. Nose a little hot with heavy notes of tropical fruit as other reviewers have noted. Palate follows through with more rich tropical fruit like bright green mango, plus an earth and mineral note. Full bodied but not hot. Complex finish of fruit and earth but shorter than expected considering how much flavor the palate packed. Delicious and highly drinkable like turbocharged Espadin!

Ben

Ben

4 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Surprisingly smooth drinking for 53%. Shades of earth with a sour finish. A little cream to offset the spice, and hints of berry and tropical fruits. But overall balanced, but a bit boring.

jgerdes

jgerdes

7 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

What a delight, even though it is hard to find. Very fruity to me, similar to the Tobala, but packing more flavor. Citrus fruits, but also an earth bite that mix’s well. Smooth, but VERY complex.

GreenspointTexas

GreenspointTexas

385 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

May be the best mezcal ive ever had… good lord this is perfect. A desert island mezcal. Wish I had bought another bottle. There is no heat, no burn, and the finish is nuanced and complex while it disappears over a few min with every sip.

Wow

PhilBrunski

PhilBrunski

25 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

The best mezcal I’ve ever tasted. Older edition clear bottle, notes of citrus and banana on the nose and palate. Looking forward to trying the newer edition black bottle on the way. Very different from the Del maguey arroqueno. Much brighter and just a fantastic bottle. I’d be happy drinking this and nothing else if I could only choose one mezcal. Absolutely beautiful.

thamthong

thamthong

47 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

pretty sure this was edition 4. candied banana and bright tropical fruit on the nose, palate follows suit with a big hit of herbaceousness to balance things out. arroquenos seem to drink boozier than other agaves for me and this was no exception, though that bite isn’t entirely unwanted when drinking mezcal. as far as el jolgorio is concerned, between this and the jabali, i’d go with this.

Wanderingspider

Wanderingspider

53 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Edition 3, 2015, BTL 17/225.
Very exciting. On the nose is wet terra cotta and slight fruitiness although quite dry. Definitely warm with the high ABV. Pleasant earthiness, think moist black earth with peppery notes. Long lingering finish that shows some minerality. Glad to have had the last dram available at my local.

c_woodger

c_woodger

4 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

One of my favorite Mezcales by far. The nose, like Espadin, carries a lot of citrus and herbal notes backed with tropical fruit. I got fermented banana. On the palate, very smooth given the high alcohol content with a slight “grippyness” for want of a better word. All in all, the palate confirms the analysis of the nose.

Squashplayer

Squashplayer

36 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars7 years ago

Edition 5 from 2016, 49.5% ABV. I love this mezcal. Very smooth with mint and citrus flavors. Not as smokey as some other Arroquenos I have tasted. Only 350 bottles made so may have to reach for this one, but well worth it.

COak

COak

228 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars7 years ago

Edition 4. An unbelievable mezcal. Funky smell. Smooth herbal spicy taste.

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