Mezcalero No. 23

Item: Mezcalero No. 23
Rating: 4.0
Author: The Editors

Cirilo and Cosme Hernandez on sierrudo – the sharp-leaved rarity

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Producer: Mezcalero Mezcal
Maestro: Cirilo Hernandez, Cosme Hernandez
Region: San Baltazar Guélavila, Oaxaca
Agave: Sierrudo
ABV: 46%
Price: $70 ($)

Verdict

Sierrudo (angustifolia sierra negra) shows up on very few labels, and Mezcalero No. 23 is one of the better introductions – Cirilo and Cosme Hernandez deliver it dry and unornamented, which is how it wants to be drunk. Pour it for drinkers who have exhausted the espadín-tobalá-tepextate triangle and want a genuine expansion of the map.

Sierrudo is the Oaxacan agave that most labels forget. This one remembers

Tasting notes

Nose: Dry herb up front. Mineral dust, green stone fruit underneath

Palate: 46% with sierrudo's distinctive dry, slightly bitter, vegetal profile showing clean, not a crowd-pleaser, but a genuine agave argument

Finish: Dry, herbaceous. Stays long

The bottom line

Hunt it if you're deep in the category

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

Spec's