Mezcal week rolls on. You may recall that I am reviewing three mezcals from La Luna this week. On Monday I reviewed Lot 63 of their Tequilana. Today I have for you a review of Lot 23 of their Manso Sahuayo. Unlike Tequilana aka Blue Weber this is not a well-known agave variety or one that is in wide use. As per Mezcal Reviews it is an unclassified variety. I’m not sure if it’s found outside of Michoacán. It grows wild there but the plants used for La Luna’s mezcal are apparently cultivated. I have no idea what the typical yield from this variety is or what the characteristics of mezcal made from it are. It goes without saying that it is completely new to me and I’m curious to see what it’s like.
La Luna, Manso Sahuayo (48.51%, Lot 23; from my own bottle)
Nose: Less “green” and acidic than the Tequilana; quite a bit more earthy from the get-go, with a lot of decomposed leaves and damp earth. As it sits there’s some dill and some pine, and then some fruit begins to peep out (charred pineapple). With more time still, some savoury notes emerge (light ham brine). A touch of water and the lime and savoury notes expand a little.
Palate: A little brighter entry on the palate but it’s the earthy notes that are dominant here as well, joined by some vegetal/rooty bitterness. The smoke is on the milder side. A good drinking strength; rich texture. On the second and third sips there’s that vinyl/naugahyde note (strange how I don’t find it offensive in the context of mezcal). Quite a bit of lime too after a bit and the salt comes out earlier. Okay, let’s add a few drops of water. Brighter here too now and there’s some pepper as well, and more smoke.
Finish: Long. Salt emerges here, expanding at the end. As on the palate with water.
Comments: When I first opened this bottle I was not very taken by it. But it’s grown on me quite a bit since—mostly, I think, because it is so different from the brighter mezcals that I have mostly had. It certainly works very well as a counterpoint to the Tequilana. Hard to choose between them, except perhaps as dictated by mood.
Rating: 87 points.