Erstwhile Henequén Mezcal is produced using maguey Henequén which is native to the Yucatán Peninsula. Erstwhile Mezcal is the first brand to release an maguey Henequén mezcal in the US market.
About this mezcal
Erstwhile Henequén Mezcal is produced by Juan Hernández Méndez in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca using maguey Henequén (agave Fourcroydes) which is native to the Yucatán Peninsula. A batch of maguey Henequén piñas were originally bound for Jalisco to be used in some sort of industrial mezcal experiment. However, the experiment didn’t get off the ground and the piñas had to be sent back south. Somewhere along the way, Erstwhile’s partner mezcalero Juan Hernández Méndez intercepted and purchased the lot of maguey Henequén piñas. They were crushed by tahona, fermented in open-air wooden vats, and distilled in copper alembic pots. A 397 liter batch was distilled in December 2017. This mezcal has slightly spicy notes with a hint of tingly numbness on the tongue reminiscent of Sichuan peppercorns.
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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Rakhal
421 reviewsLot 18. When I lived for a couple of months in Merida I found out about how the city was surrounded by Haciendas built with the riches made from harvesting Henequin Agave for fiber. I assumed that someone was making Mezcal out of it, so I embarked on a long ultimately fruitless search for it. All I found was one company making a boring tequila like product and a lot of ultra sweet licors. Anyways, thanks to Erstwhile I was finally able to try it in an artisanal Mezcal. It’s good!! Really aromatic and woody. Oak, Marzipan, Amaretto, Dr. Pepper, dry dirt, tarragon, wet leaves. There is so much of this agave in the Yucatán just begging to be harvested for Mezcal, I really hope I see more of this.
Lot 18. When I lived for a couple of months in Merida I found out about how the city was surrounded by Haciendas built with the riches made from harvesting Henequin Agave for fiber. I assumed that someone was making Mezcal out of it, so I embarked on a long ultimately fruitless search for it. All I found was one company making a boring tequila like product and a lot of ultra sweet licors. Anyways, thanks to Erstwhile I was finally able to try it in an artisanal Mezcal. It’s good!! Really aroma
Mansson
71 reviewsLot 18-JHM-HEN, distilled December 2017. There is a lot going on in this one. It’s vegetal but in a dark way (if that is the correct way to describe the taste). It’s quite smoky and I also find notes of liquorice. But this is offset by dark berries and agave sweetness, creating a balanced and interesting mezcal.