If you haven’t figured it out already, agave products are booming at retail. Whether it’s because of pop culture trends, health reasons (some people think agave spirits process through the body more cleanly), a growing interest in Mexican food and culture, or all of the above, there’s no getting around the fact that more retailers are pulling the trigger on Tequila and mezcal these days. The sales numbers are truly staggering.
As any spirits category begins to grow and a wider selection becomes available, customers begin asking questions like: “What’s the best?” or “What should I be looking for when I’m in the mood for something special?”
In the case of mezcal, higher prices don’t necessarily mean better flavor. But in many instances, when a bottle of mezcal costs $100 or more, it’s usually because the spirit itself is distilled from a type of wild agave. Whereas Tequila is always made from cultivated blue agave, and the large majority of standard-labeled mezcals are made from cultivated Espadín, wild mezcal distillates are made from rare types of agave that must be foraged for and searched out. Almost like truffles.
Then they have to be transported from the various locations where they’ve been discovered back to the palenque, often down mountain slopes and through treacherous terrain. And agave piñas are HEAVY! Hence, the work is difficult. That’s what you’re paying for.
But do they taste better? Sometimes. Sometimes not. It all depends on the distiller, the harvest of agave, and the process. Even then, there’s often huge variation from batch to batch, so you really have to do your research and taste as much as possible in order to develop your taste preferences.
However, if you don’t have time for all that fun and you’re looking for something truly special—an expression of agave that explodes with flavor on the palate and keeps you coming back again and again—then I have the bottle for you.
We just received a few cases of the new Pal’Alma Aguardiente de Agave “Salmiana” uncertified mezcal last week. It’s not labeled as mezcal because it was doesn’t adhere to the official DO requirements (think of Champagne made outside of the region of Champagne or from different grapes).
So why the fuss?
Pal’Alma is the export brand for Almamezcalera, the bottling label from Mexico City’s notorious “Indiana Jones of Agave” Erick Rodriguez. Equal parts historian and adventurer, Erick travels to remote production sites all over Mexico and is deeply committed to local traditions that are rooted in rustic ingenuity. His collaborators are all bonafide local legends in their own right, and—to make things even cooler—Erick only works with a single mezcalero in each state! Several of them, such as Nuevo León and Sonora, are not currently acknowledged under the “Mezcal” Denomination of Origin, so Erick bottles tiny batches of truly thrilling, uncertified agave distillates. Let’s take the current release as an example: the Salmiana from San Luis Potosi, a state in central Mexico, just northeast of Jalisco.
The first batch of Pal’Alma’s uncertified mezcal (or Aguardiente de Agave) is distilled from Salmiana agave, which grows around 6,000 feet above sea level. Known for its thick dark leaves, which curve and twist as they mature, it can grow to more than seven feet wide and tall, taking anywhere from 12 to 25 years to reach maturity. Erick works with Maestro Patricio Hernandez, who cooks the piñas in a stone oven, then mills the cooked agave using a traditional tahona.
But here’s the kicker.
During fermentation, roughly 30% fresh pulque is added to the crushed agave in a pine vat, almost like adding sour mash into your Bourbon mash bill. After eight days, the resulting fermented ‘tepache’ is distilled twice in a copper pot, using a condenser to further rectify the spirit. It bursts with bell peppers and fresh leather on the nose, bolstered on the palate by the creamy lactic notes for which Salmiana is famous, and a racy edge the that reminds us it was distilled using sharp, light pulque. On the finish you’ve got cracked peppercorns and a hint of pine with loads of citrus and spice. It is spectacular stuff, by far the most impressive agave spirit in my home bar.
And get this: Erick’s selections were previously presented only at his small, appointment-only tasting room in DF, and as exclusive batches with iconic venues like Omar Hernandez Gallery in Oaxaca and Pujol in Mexico City. They are coveted by mezcal aficionados around the world, especially because you had to meet with him directly to buy a bottle. You literally had to make an appointment and fly to Mexico CIty in order to get one!
We’re very lucky to now have access to Pal’Alma here in California and, for you lucky customers, we’ve got them on the shelf at Mission. If Erick is the Indiana Jones of mezcal, then this Salmiana edition is very much the holy grail of agave spirits.
-David Driscoll