Derrumbes - Michoacan Mezcal
Derrumbes Description
Two species of agave are used to produce Derrumbes Michoacan: agave Cupreata brings mature fruit aromas, while agave Cenizo brings more herbal notes. Cooked in an underground stone pit using black oak, Derrumbes Michoacan is fermented in underground tanks lined with pine wood which adds to the herbal character.
True to the tradition of mezcal production in this area, Derrumbes Michoacan is distilled using the Phillipino method, which predates copper-pot distillation. This technique requires the body of the still to be made from wood, with the alcohol vapours condensed by a copper pot full of water that sits at the top of the trunk. This process adds to the unique character of Derrumbes Michoacan, which after distillation is 46% ABV and is rested in large glass bottles before the final bottling.
TASTING NOTES
NOSE
Sharp vegetal notes: ferns, fresh cut grass and pine needles. It also has a sweet note, almost like Chinese-style sweet corn soup, with nail varnish remover, ash and wood smoke. There are touches of white wine vinegar, although without the acid hit that suggests, and freshly cracked stone.
PALATE
Intense agave pepper and sweet fruit to start, quickly calming to a mineral-heavy, sweet tropical fruit juice character. Running behind that is a strong, agave pepperiness and a thick bed of woody smoke from the nose.
FINISH
Long, with stones, camp fires and apples.
COMMENT
A full-flavoured mezcal, with savoury wood smoke complemented by sweet fruit, vegetal notes and a refreshing minerality.
