After a week of reviews of brandies and then a week of reviews of single grain whiskies, let’s shift all the way over to the Americas, to Mexico, and do a week of mezcals. I’ve reviewed a few mezcals in recent years and every time I do I become more enamoured of the general profile. My exposure to the category is not very wide or deep, however, and I am the furthest thing from an expert on it. I can’t tell you very much about the producers or the companies that release mezcals in the US, or about the characteristics of particular types of agave grown in particular regions, or about the effects of particular distillation regimes. For that kind of information you should look elsewhere—perhaps on the Mezcal Reviews website. What I can tell you is what I make of the mezcals I drink; it should go without saying that my responses are those of someone who usually drinks single malt whisky in the Scottish style. Alright, disavowals out of the way, I can tell you that the first two mezcals I am reviewing this week are from Mal Bien who bottle mezcals from small producers around Mexico. This alto was made by Isidro Rodriguez Montoya from the town of Río de Parras in Michoacán. Okay, let’s see what it’s like. Continue reading →