Real Minero is the name of the brand of mezcal made by the Ángeles family, who have been distilling mezcal in the town of Santa Catarina Minas in Oaxaca for more than a century now.  You can find out more about them in this report on Mezcal Reviews on a distillery tour in 2017. (Mezcal Reviews, by the way, is an essential resource for people like me who are new to mezcal.) Their mezcal is no longer officially called mezcal—the word no longer appears on their labels. This has to do with the bureaucratic headaches of the certification process: it is in fact mezcal in all but name only. The mezcal produced by the family has a very high reputation (and commands prices to match). I was lucky enough to find two bottles from a local liquor store at a significant discount last year. I’m not sure what led to that discount but I wasted no time in snapping them up. I will be reviewing both this month. First up, is a batch of the Barril, a maguey that is new to me. As per the label, the average age of the maguey used was 15 years old and it was all harvested in 2018. The mezcal itself was distilled in the second half of that year and then rested in glass for six months. I opened the bottle last week and have been enjoying it very much. Here now are my notes.

Real Minero Barril (51.71%; Batch DRMB-14; from my own bottle)

Nose: Peppery smoke along with a slightly astringent green note (cut jalapeño in vinegar); some sweeter fruit below that along with some damp earth. Gets a little creamy as it sits and a little lactic: think a ripe cheddar or similar. The lime from the palate emerges here and it’s a little pickled.

Palate: Comes in as advertised by the nose at first and then there’s a big burst of sweet lime; turns more vegetal as I swallow. A bit hot but approachable; rich texture. The smoke gets ashier with each sip and the pepper more coarsely ground; there’s a touch of plastic that emerges too. As it sits the lime expands.

Finish: Long. The smoke dominates here; salt emerges to join it. More (salted) lime here too with time.

Comments: This is a rather lovely, and dangerously drinkable mezcal. There’s nothing funky here: just a mix of smoke, pepper, fruit and earth. The smoke starts out innocuously enough but expands dramatically from nose to finish and with time. For Scotch whisky enthusiasts I’d say that the smoke, earth and pickled lime combo is reminiscent of an extra-peaty Longrow. Looking forward to trying Real Minero’s Largo next.

Rating: 88 points.