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Mezcalero No. 21

Mezcalero No. 21 was made by Don Baltazar Cruz, who is also responsible for Mezcalero No. 15, Mezcalero No. 19, and Alipus San Luis.

About this mezcal

Mezcalero No. 21 is made with wild maguey Cirial (noted for sweetness, high acid, dark-chocolate notes), wild maguey Tepeztate (earthy, vegetal, intense), and wild maguey Tobalá (elegant and refined). The Tepeztate-Tobalá play well against each other, and the Cirial induces a soft, fruity, and balanced intensity. After distillation, this rested 22 months in glass. The batch has a total of 744 bottles.

Mezcalero Mezcal

Each Mezcalero bottling is true to the fundamental batch nature of artisan Mezcal production. Each bottling is distilled from a single integral batch of agaves that are at least 50% wild or semi-wild, and usually 100%. These “silvestre” agaves take a lot of work to harvest: searching for days in the mountains, packing the agaves back on burros. After that, it takes a month of continuous labor to produce a single batch of Mezcalero, usually 600-700 bottles. Mezcalero is both a brand and an intention. The brand is a way for talented artisan distillers to work with, and gain part of their livelihood from, some very special agaves. The intention goes deeper: to help preserve a way of distilling that is also a way of life, deeply linked to the distiller’s family, to his social environs, to his pueblo, to an entire way of life largely deriving from indigenous culture that is at risk of rapid deterioration under pressure from the modernization of Mexico.

 

Craft Distillers’ tasting video

Member rating

3.94 out of 5

8 reviews

JDB

JDB

159 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Sometimes, one agave stands out more in an ensemble, but not this one. The Tep adds a nice background on this ensemble, I don’t pick up clear karwinskii or tobala notes. Creamsicle on the nose, Poached pear, strong floral notes, nice spiciness, a hint of licorice, and herbal touches as well. Very good overall.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Sloppy, heavy handed and tailsey. Not an admirer. Pass.

t8ke

t8ke

144 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Medium mouth feel. Nice body. Salty, earthy, good bit of clay. Pricky ethanol, but not too hot. Leather, tobacco, savory brine.

Really big fan of this one – great complexity and character with flavors I love to keep me coming back for more.

TheAuditor

TheAuditor

38 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Mezcaleros #21 Don Baltazar Cruz

This is a blend of 3 agave varieties: Cirial, Tepextate, and Tobala. These 3 varieties were distilled then married for 22 months in a rest tank before bottling.

ABV: 48%

Nose: Lemony, Citrus, Earthy, Peppers.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel, Earth, Lemon, Citrus, Peppers, Mango, Red Apple, Pineapple.

Finish: Medium Length, Earth, Lemon, Citrus, with slight mango fruit notes that fade out

This stuff strikes a balance between the earthy more peppery notes and the fruity sweeter sides of things. If I had a bottle of this, it would not last long.

Mezcaleros #21 Don Baltazar Cruz
This is a blend of 3 agave varieties: Cirial, Tepextate, and Tobala. These 3 varieties were distilled then married for 22 months in a rest tank before bottling.
ABV: 48%
Nose: Lemony, Citrus, Earthy, Peppers.
Palate: Medium mouthfeel, Earth, Lemon, Citrus, Peppers, Mango, Red Apple, Pineapple.
Finish: Medium Length, Earth, Lemon, Citrus, with slight mango fruit notes that fade out
This stuff strikes a balance between the earthy more peppery notes and the fruity s

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justsomedude

justsomedude

28 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Soft and complex if not well integrated. Nose is delicate and bright with honeydew, and green bell pepper. Palate belies the nose with more savory flavors of green plantain, earth, mineral fighting sweet berry and tropical fruit. The sweet and fruit loses out until the finish which is hard to pin down… delicate soft fruit flavors flash for a moment then get overwhelmed by minerality and astringency. I get a lot of different flavors but I don’t think they mesh particularly well and the finish is not super tasty 80/100

Soft and complex if not well integrated. Nose is delicate and bright with honeydew, and green bell pepper. Palate belies the nose with more savory flavors of green plantain, earth, mineral fighting sweet berry and tropical fruit. The sweet and fruit loses out until the finish which is hard to pin down… delicate soft fruit flavors flash for a moment then get overwhelmed by minerality and astringency. I get a lot of different flavors but I don’t think they mesh particularly well and th

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Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Light melon on the nose with a little bbqed pork and smoke.
Pineapple is the first thing that comes to mind. A lingering woodsmoke. A lot of sweetness almost like palm sugar when combined with the fruit notes. Really great bottle.

Rakhal

Rakhal

421 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Spearmint, wood fired tri-tip steak, banana, magnolia flower, roasted pineapple, and brown sugar. Yum. I like the Mezcalero series a lot!

Jonny

Jonny

700 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Very subtle and light aromas. A bit sharp on the palate but not in an unpleasant way. This is actually really good! Some Mezcalero Mezcals are NEXT LEVEL like the Mezcalero 8, 13, 15, 16, or 20j. Those are my favorites of those I’ve tried so far. This is unfortunately not one of them, but it’s still really, really good. With Mezcalero, the bar so high! Tasting notes of dark fruit and pineapple. Definitely need to grab another taste of this.

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