El Jolgorio Pechuga is distilled with locally harvested fruit and spices. It also involves the hanging of a raw turkey breast in the still.
About this mezcal
El Jolgorio Pechuga is made using two distillations. During the second distillation, the mezcalero adds locally harvested fruit and spices, like pineapple, orange, and plantains. Also during the second distillation, the mezcalero hangs a raw turkey breast on the inside of the pot still in such a way that all of the vapor must pass over the meat before it becomes liquid Mezcal. Unlike the other El Jolgorio bottles, Pechuga is not named for the species/variety of agave it is made from, but rather for this special way of making Espadín Mezcal.
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.
Review this bottle
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jackstraw
33 reviewsbatch: GMJ-PE-290921-EJ
bottle: 664/1250
edition: 22
harvest: 2020
tropical candied yams —
raisins, allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon;
frankincense;
creamy buttered corn;
semisweet chocolate;
meaty, oily unctuousness
review #23
KyraNicole
43 reviewsNope. Too strong and just boozy for me.
aarild
152 reviewsA bit faint nose, but very pleasant vanilla and blueberry notes if you sniff deeply.
Fantastic burst of fruitiness at first on the palate. Guava, unripe banana, blueberry, fresh flavours of a pitcher of ice water with cucumber slices. Eventually meaty, savoury flavours of grilled chicken skin come through, some nice, discreet herbal hints too. Really nice pechuga. Supposedly recent import, but no batch.
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsNose – Crazy, soft welcoming vanilla. Oak.
Palate – Funky vanilla ice cream. Smoked deli turkey. A nice, slight grittiness in the mouth feel. A strong, aged oaky finish like an anejo… but quality. A very dry, yet dried fruit aftertaste.
ElAgave
34 reviewsEdicion 11 48%abv
Nose – vanilla, sugary banana, slight smokiness, mint
Palate – vanilla, citrus rind, caramel, pine, lemon, oily, raisin, roasted pineapple
Finish – oaky, woody, vanilla, mint
t8ke
144 reviewsOily mouth feel, rich and bursting with pepper, sweet blueberry and blackberry, faint cedar. It’s sweet and fruity for the most part, with an underlying minerality that keeps things in check, with that oily texture that pechugas tend to present.
Overall, pechugas are a hot topic, and the additional body that this expression demonstrates in the palate is impressive, fun and out there. Sweet cream, berries, minerality and ash all come together to produce a savory expression that is easy to pour when celebrating something special.
Oily mouth feel, rich and bursting with pepper, sweet blueberry and blackberry, faint cedar. It’s sweet and fruity for the most part, with an underlying minerality that keeps things in check, with that oily texture that pechugas tend to present.
Overall, pechugas are a hot topic, and the additional body that this expression demonstrates in the palate is impressive, fun and out there. Sweet cream, berries, minerality and ash all come together to produce a savory expression that is easy to
MezcAleman
28 reviewsEdition: 11 – Harvest: 2018 – Bottle 1070/1160
Bought it because I really liked the Tobala, but it is not as great as the Tobala.
Cedar on the nose is dominant and smoother than expected. Nice, warm mouth feel. I miss the pechuga magic.
Rakhal
421 reviewsEdition 14, 2019. Gregorio Martinez and Valentin Cortes. Smooth with notes of rosemary, raisins, and mint. Yum!
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsSo light. No burn.
Only knock and only thing keeping this from being one of the all time best is the very light, almost non-discernable additions on the palate. Can barely tell it’s a pechuga. As an espadin, it soars. As a pechuga, mixed feelings at best
LosMuertos
33 reviewsOverall this is a great mezcal/pechuga. But considering the price tag I would have hoped for a bit more wow-factor. It starts off with smoky coal, then a nice minerality followed by citrus like lemon and grapefruit. It also has a mild note of turkey ham towards the end. Dark chocolate on the palate. I would have liked more notes for the pechuga treatment. Still good though.
Scent: 4/5
Mouthfeel: 4/5
thamthong
47 reviewsedition 05, 2015, bottle 789/1000, 47.8% abv, valentin cortes & gregorio martinez. almost as if they forgot to add anything to this. any sort of extra flavor from the pechuga process is fairly difficult to detect, especially because this spirit is so goddamn hot. nose and palate are dominated by acetone. occasionally hints of apple and vague baking spices come through. the most disappointing bottle in my collection. hopefully time and oxidation will bring this one around.
razorbackmike
155 reviewsslight let down.had expectations of strong meaty flavor.this is good but doesnt match the 120.00 price tag.flavor of all spice and hint of black pepper.average entry and finish.have had numerous mezcals at a fraction of the price with much greater flavor.i have had the espadin from this brand and it was great.if the cost was around 40.00,i would still give it 3 stars.this was a parada 2016 edition.i am a little unsure about buying this brand again because of the cost but have read so many great reviews.
slight let down.had expectations of strong meaty flavor.this is good but doesnt match the 120.00 price tag.flavor of all spice and hint of black pepper.average entry and finish.have had numerous mezcals at a fraction of the price with much greater flavor.i have had the espadin from this brand and it was great.if the cost was around 40.00,i would still give it 3 stars.this was a parada 2016 edition.i am a little unsure about buying this brand again because of the cost but have read so many great
Tyler
641 reviewsHuge fan of the El Jolgorio Espadin from Ignacio Parada and his pechuga doesn’t disappoint. Oily on the palate.. the mezcal has a yellowish hue in the bottle. Flavors jump around from figs to chocolate to bouillon stock. Taste of smoked turkey is prominent. Slight rubber finish. The bottle I purchased was placed at the store window (exposed to sunlight) and I’m curious if that may have affected the flavor. Regardless this is a very enjoyable pechuga. Lot 3 from 2014.
Jonny
705 reviewsBatch 003-PEC. 2014. Bottle 195/550. Slightly yellow in color, as if it has a touch of chicken broth. A bit of turkey and juniper on the nose. Profile has strong smoked turkey flavor. My grandfather always grilled our Thanksgiving turkey when I was younger and this taste exactly like that turkey! Not as viscous as other Pechugas, but it’s not so light that it doesn’t hang on the palate for awhile after the sip. A touch of dried fruit accompanies the turkey notes.