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Mezcalero No. 22

Mezcalero No. 22 was distilled in May 2015 by Don Valente Angel Garcia in Santa Maria la Pila, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca and rested for nearly 4 years.

Rating: (19 reviews)
Brand:Mezcalero Mezcal
NOM:NOM-O14X
Mezcalero:Valente Angel García
Maguey:Bicuishe
Agave:Karwinskii
Grind:Shredder
Distillation:Copper
Style:Aged in Glass
State:Oaxaca
Town:Santa Maria La Pila
ABV: 47.4%
Age of plant: 15 years
Batch size: 816 bottles
Release year: 2019
Website: https://craftdistillers.com/trade-info/mezcalero-info/, opens in new window

About this mezcal

Mezcalero No. 22 was distilled in May 2015 by Don Valente Angel Garcia in Santa Maria la Pila, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca. It was produced from wild maguey Bicuishe, a variety of agave Karwinskii which needs around 15 years to mature. Bicuishe is intense and acidic and often added in small portions to ensamble  mezcals for flavor. For instance, Don Valente adds 10% agave Bicuishe to his Alipus San Andres mezcal. Mezcalero No. 22 was aged for almost four years and bottled in November 2018. The finish has notes of dark chocolate.

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

4.68 out of 5

19 reviews

Bryen

Bryen

18 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 months ago

The hype is real! Buy this bottle if you can get your hands on it! I felt regret pouring the last 2 Oz of it haha

Imperium

Imperium

94 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars10 months ago

Orange jelly bean, super smooth, desert sand. I feel transported to the desert in this. Oh how I wish I could have bought a bottle. Sublime and perfect.

El-Dawg

El-Dawg

207 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

First Mezcalero tasting, and I picked the one that is currently the highest rated on MR. This one delivered – great nose! Sweet and smokey throughout and balanced. Some anise and another strong note I can’t figure out. Creamy, full-mouth feel. This tastes just like the desert in all of the best ways.
Review #140

Americana Kyle

Americana Kyle

60 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

I have nothing major to add from what’s already been said. Beautiful expression and one I will try every chance I get. Still one of my absolute favorites out of the Mezcalero line.

Zack Klamn

Zack Klamn

542 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars2 years ago

Nose – Soft, perfumed and rosy to start. I caught a wet soil note in there too but then it disappeared completely. Egg white. Grand Marnier orange candied liqueur but fresher.

Palate – Rosewater with a stronger, cologne tinge to it. Orange jellybean. Swedish Granite Snus (chewing tobacco), chili mango and especially peppermint heat in the middle that lasts long into the finish. This is obviously a quality mezcal and this is still a great rating (4 stars) but my experience doesn’t quite match the legend that is Mezcalero 22.

Nose – Soft, perfumed and rosy to start. I caught a wet soil note in there too but then it disappeared completely. Egg white. Grand Marnier orange candied liqueur but fresher.
Palate – Rosewater with a stronger, cologne tinge to it. Orange jellybean. Swedish Granite Snus (chewing tobacco), chili mango and especially peppermint heat in the middle that lasts long into the finish. This is obviously a quality mezcal and this is still a great rating (4 stars) but my experience doesnR

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The_Mezcalman

The_Mezcalman

6 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

This very smooth yet overly herbal Bicuixe from Don Valente shows off his prowess as a master. Great notes of dried peppers, guajillo chilli, orange blossom, and spiced candied mango help evolve this mezcal to a complete finish. The musky and green moss notes remind me Savannah GA after a rainy day. Great addition to the Mezcalero line

meserole

meserole

73 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Sweet vanilla frosting on the nose.
Hot sunlight on clean dry pavement (quite a foil to the common wet earth profiles) in the mouth.
Body is thin, almost light and airy even with a not insignificant alcohol heat.
Warm vanilla sugar on the tail, and that hot alcohol quickly dissipates.
Gorgeous and unique. My first Mezcalero, and probably 1 of only 2 or 3 “five star” bottles for me.
Paid $100 for the bottle in NYC.

packerfan

packerfan

1 review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Outstanding. Dusty, sweet, amazing flavor that lingers.

COak

COak

228 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Brilliant bicuishe! It’s so refined, hardly any burn. Reminds me of childhood breakfasts, eating Sara Lee coffee cake.

SpencerS

SpencerS

13 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

This is an outstanding mezcal and was an instant 5 star from first taste.

The characteristics remind me of Real Minero Largo but with added citrus and softness. The nose is super fragrant with roasted peanuts, cooked agave, clay, and orange.

The pallet is even bigger but has a velvet softness to it. This is an extremely refined mezcal – huge flavor but low burn. One of the best I’ve had to date and would hold its own against more expensive mezcals.

Dylan

Dylan

7 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Nose of vanilla, buttery popcorn, carmel and butterscotch. Very earthy flavors hard to describe. A long pleasant peppery finish. I’m glad I bought a bottle.

TheAuditor

TheAuditor

38 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Nose: Mineraly, pungent fruits, brine, slight vanilla

Palate: Medium oily mouthfeel, slight pungent fruits, vanilla, Earthy, slight dark chocolate. Spicy, Green Peppers

Finish: Medium length, tart pungent fruits, banana, slight pineapple. Earthy, New sprouting plants.

Rating: 6/10

This is really different and interesting from the other mezcals I’ve tried so far. It leans far more into the savory flavors with the earthy, briney, pungentness. The nose and palate is kind of like being in the forest in the spring when the plants are growing (yes absurd but that’s what it reminds me of)

Nose: Mineraly, pungent fruits, brine, slight vanilla
Palate: Medium oily mouthfeel, slight pungent fruits, vanilla, Earthy, slight dark chocolate. Spicy, Green Peppers
Finish: Medium length, tart pungent fruits, banana, slight pineapple. Earthy, New sprouting plants.
Rating: 6/10
This is really different and interesting from the other mezcals I’ve tried so far. It leans far more into the savory flavors with the earthy, briney, pungentness. The nose and palate is kind of like being in the fore

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Rakhal

Rakhal

421 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Magic. Tobacco leaf, sage, vanilla wafers, a desert stream hitting the ocean at sunset, pound cake, diamonds, oyster shells. Don Valente Angel Garcia is a magician of the highest order. I need to visit his Palenque next time I’m in Oaxaca. This Mezcal unanimously won a blind tasting at my house between Mezcalero 22, 16, and two Don Beto Madrecuixe.

NickSanford

NickSanford

23 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

This one was another excellent Bicuishe. It gives me a white wine type of flavor of white sour Grapes with a strong cologne funk that navigates through the palate giving it almost a champagne like taste of sweetness. I love the strength of the biquishe itself.

stigibeu

stigibeu

33 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

4.75 for me. A tremendous bicuishe mezcal. The smell is like a fresh fruit off the tree or at the farmer’s market, and minerality plays perfectly to my palate–easily one of the top 5 “tastiest” mezcals (and two others are Mezcalero 16 and Special Bottling 2). Don Valente es el hombre.

GreenspointTexas

GreenspointTexas

385 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Smell is muted to me, but everything else about this elixir is delicious. Borders on a tobala in finish, no alcohol burn and a very pleasant bubblegum note that lingers

thamthong

thamthong

47 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

jee. zus.

this is the most unwieldy and boldest of the don valente mezcals i’ve had the privilege of sampling (mezcalero special bottling 2 is my favorite mezcal and among the best spirits i’ve ever tasted, no 16 runs a close second, and 18 is a luscious ensamble.) which is in no way a bad thing. aggressively fragrant on the nose—rich fruit-forward sweetness and cooked agave, hot desert sand and rocks, a bit of leather. bright on entry almost immediately tempered by that signature don valente minerality/salinity. karwinski vegetal notes are present with a bit of char that oscillates with burnt sugar and unsweetened vanilla. minty tingliness ushers in the finish that carries for days. i think i described mezcalero special bottling 2 as a desert oasis, this is straight distilled sunlight. absolutely tremendous. i’d be lying if i said i dont miss the velvety texture of special 2 and the finesse that’s mutual to that and no16, but this shows the breadth of don valente’s range for creating excellent mezcal. he’s a goddamn wizard. this is also the first pour off the bottle so curious to see how this opens up, but it’s virtually perfect as is. i bought two blind and may stock up further.

jee. zus.
this is the most unwieldy and boldest of the don valente mezcals i’ve had the privilege of sampling (mezcalero special bottling 2 is my favorite mezcal and among the best spirits i’ve ever tasted, no 16 runs a close second, and 18 is a luscious ensamble.) which is in no way a bad thing. aggressively fragrant on the nose—rich fruit-forward sweetness and cooked agave, hot desert sand and rocks, a bit of leather. bright on entry almost immediately tempered by that signature don v

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Jonny

Jonny

698 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Smells off the f-ing charts y’all!!! Like Woah. Straight candy aromas with hints of oranges and lime. The palate is rich and full. Wow! Oranges and velvet and cologne and apples and minerals and vanilla and cream and peppermint and tobacco and flan. This is all over the place and amazing. I ordered a bottle online immediately after my first sip.

Tyler

Tyler

636 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Holy wow. Don Valente is a master. His mezcals have this crazy spicy mineral cologned finish. There is this vanilla custard note here which is seriously good. The finish has a gentle minty kick.

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