Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/164544
SCORPION MEZCAL DOUG FRENCH A rtisanal mezcals are paralleling the phenomenal growth of tequilas. One reason for the category's popularity is the effort of distiller Doug French and his creation, Scorpion Mezcal. The skillfully crafted spirit is known for its exuberance and great taste, as well as being the brand marketed with a scorpion exoskeleton inside the bottle. While most mezcals are distilled from the espadín variety of agave, French also crafts mezcal from the both barril and the famed tobalá agaves. Which does he prefer? "How do I choose just one? We can make mezcal from 28 different varieties of agave. Each will produce a substantially different tasting spirit. Then mezcal can be silver, reposado or añejo, which we can vary by age and wood finish. I consider tobalá to be the king of agaves, so I naturally swoon when I taste our mezcal derived from it. That said, espadín is so good I cannot help but love it. So which do I prefer? No matter how hard I try to be faithful to just one, I constantly thirst to drink another. So I do." www.scorpionmezcal.com CABALLEROS, INC. SACACUENTO MEZCAL RUDY FAVILA U Rudy Favila (left) with his late father-inlaw, Ventura Maldonado, who built the ranch where many of the Sacacuento Mezcal agave plants are grown. ltra-premium Sacacuento Mezcal is made from estate-grown espadín agave cultivated on the 150acre Rancho Buenaventura in Oaxaca. Founded 100 years ago, the ranch has been worked continuously by the Maldonado family. "Our family's mezcals very much reflect the heritage and culture of the Oaxacan people," says the current patriarch Rudy Favila. "We are proud we make what is referred to as 'mezcal autentico.' It is a product of the land that we carefully make with our hands. They say maestros don't tell their secrets, but we do share the love of mezcal. Our mezcals are gifts from the past with all the love Oaxaca can send." Sacacuento Mezcal Silver is distilled from espadín agave and bottled fresh from the still, while Sacacuento Añejo is barrel-aged for a year. The brand's big news is the 2013 limited release of the Sacacuento Tobalá Mezcal, which will be distilled to proof (46.6% alcohol). The three-year-old Sacacuento Extra Añejo (50% alcohol) will debut in 2014. www.sacacuento.com PREMIUM MEZCALES 126 / the tasting panel / september 2013 TP0913_104-156.indd 126 8/22/13 10:32 PM