It’s been a while since my last mezcal review. This is not because I have stopped drinking mezcal. I’ve been drinking mezcal quite regularly, in fact. But on account of the fact that I am trying to keep the number of open bottles of any type of liquor on my shelves down at a manageable number, I have not opened any new bottles of mezcal in a while. Well, not till last week. My most recent opening is a La Luna release. As it happens, my last three mezcal reviews were also all of La Luna releases; Cupreata, Manso Sahuayo and Tequiliana. This latest was also distilled from Manso Sahuayo but was not a general release. It was bottled for the Minnesota Agave Society, a group based up in the Twin Cities. I recently established contact with a member of the group but I haven’t had time to actually ask about how this bottling came to be (or if they’ve bottled any/many others). I purchased my bottle from Surdyk’s in the summer but it’s also available at other Twin Cities liquor stores (I’ve seen it at South Lyndale Liquors as well). I rather liked my previous bottle of Manso Sahuato (that was Lot 23; this is Lot 76), finding it to be an earthy change of pace from the other mezcals I’ve had. I’m curious to see what this one is like.
La Luna, Manso Sahuayo (48.51%; Lot 76, for Minnesota Agave Society; from my own bottle)
Nose: A mix of herbal (mint, sage, dill) and sweet floral notes off the top. On the second sniff there’s lime and the sweet note moves in the direction of hard candy. Cracked white pepper and a lick of smoke; just a bit of cut jalapeño in vinegar. Gets more vegetal as it sits. A drop or two of water and there’s more lime and some salt.
Palate: Comes in with the sweet notes leading the way and then a big grassy, vegetal complex; smoke emerges as I swallow. A very good drinking strength with good texture. On subsequent sips there’s a mildly astringent/plasticky note but it works somehow with the rest. More vegetal and less sweet with water.
Finish: Long. The smoke expands at first and as it subsides lime and the vegetal/plasticky complex have the last word. More lime and salt here too with water and the smoke wakes back up.
Comments: Unlike Lot 23 this one is not super earthy. I have to have them alongside each other to compare more fully but this one seems brighter and fruitier. I don’t find this to be as different from the more familiar mezcal profile as I did Lot 23. Or is the case that in the 7 months since my review of Lot 23 my tastebuds have grown more accustomed to the mezcal profile? More experiments necessary. Anyway, differences notwithstanding, I like this one as much as the other.
Rating: 87 points.