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El Jolgorio Pechuga Navideña

El Jolgorio Pechuga Navideña Mezcal is part of the limited-edition annual bottlings in black glass and contains fruits that are typically used in Christmas punches and food recipes.

About this mezcal

El Jolgorio Pechuga Navideña Mezcal is a different expression than the standard El Jolgorio Pechuga. Only one batch of this Christmas mezcal is produced each year and it released in black bottles. Unlike the regular release of El Jolgorio Pechuga, this special Christmas recipe contains mandarinas, small citrus fruits that are less sweet and more acidic than common mandarins available in the U.S. It also contains tejocote, a small high-acid fruit of the hawthorn tree that resembles a crab apple. Both fruits are local to Oaxaca and available for a very short time each year. It’s common to find holiday punches and dishes that incorporate the unique ingredients.

The 2019 Pechuga Navideña was distilled at the Casa Cortés family palenque in Santiago Matatlán, by Gregorio Jarquín, the brother-in-law of Valentín and Rolando Cortés. Don Gregorio works alongside his brother-in-law and longtime friend, Valentín Cortés, sharing head distiller duties at the family palenque.

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.

Member rating

3.28 out of 5

9 reviews

Average José

Average José

54 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars8 months ago

* Mescalero: Gregorio Martinez Jarquin
* Edition: 21
* Harvest: 2020
* Palenque: Cortes
* Maguey: Espadin Aged 10 Years
* Bottle: 37/450
* ABV: 48%

An amazing pechuga! The nose is a loud symphony of cotton candy, mango, various sweet fruits, kiwi, pineapple and no ethanol or alcohol vapors whatsoever.

The flavors are muted at first and then come roaring in like a hurricane. Wet stone, soil, light smoke, buttered green beans, toasted agave and cinnamon all blend together perfectly in a solid and delightful mouthfill.

The flavors all dance and linger together for a nice short while but not forever as I have experienced before with some high-quality Salmianas and Cupreatas.

Every flavor that is on the nose then returns again this time including the addition of a mild and pleasant meatyness from the guajolote pecho and finally finishes with a slightly sugary dessert finish. Excellente!

Based upon the other reviews I obviously lucked into an early bottle from a fantastic batch. I have deducted a 1/2 star because of that and because of its high price. I would still advise you however to keep your eyes peeled whenever you spot this in the wild for a similarly numbered bottle from this same batch – you will be in for a real treat if you are lucky enough to find it.

* Mescalero: Gregorio Martinez Jarquin
* Edition: 21
* Harvest: 2020
* Palenque: Cortes
* Maguey: Espadin Aged 10 Years
* Bottle: 37/450
* ABV: 48%
An amazing pechuga! The nose is a loud symphony of cotton candy, mango, various sweet fruits, kiwi, pineapple and no ethanol or alcohol vapors whatsoever.
The flavors are muted at first and then come roaring in like a hurricane. Wet stone, soil, light smoke, buttered green beans, toasted agave and cinnamon all blend together perfectly in a solid and

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Zack Klamn

Zack Klamn

542 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars1 year ago

By Gregorio Martinez Jarquin
Nose – Light lemon zest and pine sap. Vanilla. Fizzy Sprite. Aromas are fruity and sweet – nice!

Palate – Slick, oily entry. Bitter in the middle. Vanilla bean. Mesquite chips. Tasty woody, BBQ and… again… fizzy Sprite soda in an exceptionally long finish. This all comes together for me and really works. 👌

Seems like I enjoyed this pechuga better than most. It’s not way over spiced (or too infused fruity) like many pechugas out there, IMO. One of the better ones I’ve tried. I’d say 4.25 stars but rounding down due to price.

This was a 2 oz. sample from mezcal homie, MLR. Salud, amigo! 🤠

By Gregorio Martinez Jarquin
Nose – Light lemon zest and pine sap. Vanilla. Fizzy Sprite. Aromas are fruity and sweet – nice!
Palate – Slick, oily entry. Bitter in the middle. Vanilla bean. Mesquite chips. Tasty woody, BBQ and… again… fizzy Sprite soda in an exceptionally long finish. This all comes together for me and really works. 👌
Seems like I enjoyed this pechuga better than most. It’s not way over spiced (or too infused fruity) like many pechugas out

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HighWine

HighWine

76 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars2 years ago

Edition: 12
Harvest: 2018
Bottle: 83/800
ABV: 48%

Black bottle beauty. Much more subtle than expected in every way. Nose is faint with aromas of house paint, rued red fruit, and pine wood. Taste is clean and light. Aloe, white whiskey, and juniper. Medium-light on the palate. Bonus points for exceptional smoothness.

El-Dawg

El-Dawg

208 reviews
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

2018, Edition 12.
Light & mild on the nose. Cooked agave, some sweetness, little tropical fruity & creamy, but overall this does really taste more like a straight espadin vs an expensive pechuga. I side-by-side tasted with the Del Maguey Pechuga, and that (flavor, depth, & complexity wise) seems to be a full star better. For the price point also have to dock it a half star. Seems like a rare miss for the otherwise stellar EJ line.
Review #61

TheAgaveFairy

TheAgaveFairy

169 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Tasted blind. There’s a familiar agave sweetness, a lightness, but also a depth. But yea, there’s chicken smells, rice, cinnamon, a blend of tropical-leaning fruits, some defined citrus notes that really would fit the bill. The savory notes are matched to the assumed espadin underneath, supported just enough by fruit complexity. Red apple skins come to the top of the glass, this is complex and well crafted. Almost has some capon character, seemingly estery and spicy and savory, but I think there’s more than that.

Sweet, intense entry that’s agave driven, quickly turning to funk! Riding into the main palate there’s lactic notes supporting spices, herbs, and sweetness, that fades into red apples, bitter oranges, something akin to rice hulls.

Tasted blind. There’s a familiar agave sweetness, a lightness, but also a depth. But yea, there’s chicken smells, rice, cinnamon, a blend of tropical-leaning fruits, some defined citrus notes that really would fit the bill. The savory notes are matched to the assumed espadin underneath, supported just enough by fruit complexity. Red apple skins come to the top of the glass, this is complex and well crafted. Almost has some capon character, seemingly estery and spicy and savory, but I think

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Soxfan

Soxfan

18 reviews
Rated 2 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Edition 12. Bottle 231/800. 48%ABV. This bottle was a huge disappointment. I expected so much more, not this pleasant but totally unremarkable Pechuga. Nothing on the nose or the palate even remotely suggests that this is a Pechuga. A big miss from a usually reliable source.

Rakhal

Rakhal

421 reviews
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Edition 12, 2018. Gregorio Mtz Jarquin.
I have tried many batches of El Jolgorio Pechuga over the years, all different, some I like more than others. This doesn’t taste like a Pechuga at all. It just tastes like a decent Espadin. I’m very disappointed with this batch. Candied orange, vanilla ice cream, metallic copper pot, caramel, rose, milk chocolate, wet dog funk. This reminds me of Legendario Domingo Espadin, except this is not as good and five times the price. I took off a star because of the price and lack of Pechuga flavors.

Edition 12, 2018. Gregorio Mtz Jarquin.
I have tried many batches of El Jolgorio Pechuga over the years, all different, some I like more than others. This doesn’t taste like a Pechuga at all. It just tastes like a decent Espadin. I’m very disappointed with this batch. Candied orange, vanilla ice cream, metallic copper pot, caramel, rose, milk chocolate, wet dog funk. This reminds me of Legendario Domingo Espadin, except this is not as good and five times the price. I took off a star because

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t8ke

t8ke

144 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Faint funk, lots of sweetness, honey, earth. Clay, rhubarb, white pepper, super creamy.
Really great expression sporting a profile that isn’t super common. Really cool to give a go.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Black bottle Edition 07 (christmas blend)

The nose:

Soft. Berries and cream sweetness. Some clean cucumber.

Palate: Smoke up front, with a little of turkey coming through. Almost more like the taste you get in your mouth when you can tell the turkey is burning. Lots of sweetness and dried fruits follow the smoke and dry earthiness as you swallow.

Finish: Long lingering finish that leaves a tingling menthol sugar on a deep breath, but leaves the tongue bone dry.

I’m unsure how to rank this. The last time I tried it I got almost none of the turkey and felt it to be a little one dimensional, this time it’s completely different. Need a few more glasses before I give it a final score

Black bottle Edition 07 (christmas blend)
The nose:
Soft. Berries and cream sweetness. Some clean cucumber.
Palate: Smoke up front, with a little of turkey coming through. Almost more like the taste you get in your mouth when you can tell the turkey is burning. Lots of sweetness and dried fruits follow the smoke and dry earthiness as you swallow.
Finish: Long lingering finish that leaves a tingling menthol sugar on a deep breath, but leaves the tongue bone dry.
I’m unsure how to rank this.

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