Erstwhile Espadin Limited Edition 2018 Mezcal was produced by Juan Hernández Méndez in March 2015 using agaves with their quiotes cut and then aged in glass for about 3 years.
About this mezcal
Erstwhile Espadin Limited Edition 2018 Mezcal was produced by Juan Hernández Méndez in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca in March 2015. This 100 liter batch was made from agaves grown on his own land and harvested at maximum maturity. Specifically, the agave Espadin plants used in this batch started growing a quiote or flowering stalk. When agaves flower, a large amount of energy is required to grow their 20-foot-tall stalks. When the quiotes are cut off by a maestro, the sugar that would have been used to grow the flower is concentrated in the piña. Sometimes this is labeled by brands as “Espadín Capón”. For this batch, the piñas were harvested about a year and a half after the quiotes were cut. This mezcal was then crushed by a tahona, naturally fermented in open-air wooden vats, and distilled in copper. Finally, it was aged in glass for about 3 years and bottled in 2018.
Erstwhile Mezcal
Erstwhile Mezcal is a Brooklyn-based mezcal brand specializing in small-batch artisanal and ancestral mezcal. It was founded in 2017 by Yuan Ji (lawyer-turned-empresaria) and Kevin J. Brown (antiquarian map expert and Owner of Geographicus Rare Antique Maps). Their mission is to discover, curate, and connect both connoisseurs and novices with small-batch mezcal of the highest caliber. The team behind Erstwhile Mezcal is committed to mezcal education, transparency, sustainability and fair trade. Erstwhile Mezcal is a woman-owned business that supports fellow women in mezcal production. The first batches of Erstwhile Mezcal arrived in New York and California in the fall of 2018.
In the US, Erstwhile Mezcal can be purchased directly from their online store.
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TheAgaveFairy
169 reviewsA touch hot and acrid, ashen. Singed herbs, sage smudge, charred pineapple, slight mints, and some agave. Crushed red chili pepper, guanbana, traces of kiwi. With some air, agave comes more forward, along with soil notes.
There’s decent initial sweetness, then more of those hot ashen notes, and the finish immediately reminds me of the aspects I don’t like about cigarettes. There’s a touch of lively acidity that reminds me of oranges, more bitter ones.
Sadly, this is the kind of offering I think of when I think of mediocre careless Matalan bottlings, of which there seems to be many.
I’m possibly being generous. I’ll let it sit a bit longer and update if I post to another platform, but for a “pop and pour” experience – nah. Not feeling it.
A touch hot and acrid, ashen. Singed herbs, sage smudge, charred pineapple, slight mints, and some agave. Crushed red chili pepper, guanbana, traces of kiwi. With some air, agave comes more forward, along with soil notes.
There’s decent initial sweetness, then more of those hot ashen notes, and the finish immediately reminds me of the aspects I don’t like about cigarettes. There’s a touch of lively acidity that reminds me of oranges, more bitter ones.
Sadly, this is the kind of offering I
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsThe best from Erstwhile ive had. A tad on the smokier side, with some faint gouda and blue cheese notes. Not a super long finish, but no burn or abnormal flavors present. Diggin this for sure
janinehunt
2 reviewsThis mezcal is certainly a phenomenal creation. With an intriguing aroma and full bodied taste, you will be hard pressed to find anything better! Fabulous!!!!