Death By Espadin I, Oaxaca: Cuentacuentos, Koch El, Bozal, Nuestra Soledad, Vago, Mezcalosfera

I hope you like good old agave angustifolia, the chardonnay of Mexican distilling, because for the next week I'm tasting twelve of them. Next week we'll hit six more from the rest of Mexico, but today it's six bottlings just from Oaxaca. Four villages, six different producers, three different still types, one varietal, let's go:
- Cuentacuentos Espadín Mezcal Ancestral (distilled by Angel Cruz Robles, Sola de Vega; double distilled in clay pots, July 2020; 46.36% ABV), 87+/100
- Koch El Mezcal Ancestral Olla de Barro, Espadín (distilled by Isidiro Damian, Sola de Vega; double distilled in clay pots, lot 11/20; 47.12% ABV), 85/100
- Bozal Guias de Calabaza Sacrificio Mezcal Artesanal, Espadín Pechuga (Río de Ejutla; pot distilled with pumpkin stems, fruits, and grains, bottled circa 2021; 47% ABV), 86+/100
- Nuestra Soledad Mezcal Artesanal, Lachigui (distilled by Pedro Vasquez, Lachigui; 100% espadin distilled in Filipino still; lot 18, distilled circa 2019; 48% ABV), 87/100
- Vago Mezcal Artesanal Espadín by Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez (Miahuatlán; lot E-28-E-21, distilled in refrescador pot still; 50.3% ABV), 85/100
- Mezcalosfera Espadín Mezcal Artesanal (distilled by Juan García, Miahuatlán; 100 litres, distilled in refrescador pot still on 10/2021; 50.6% ABV), 88/100
As I was hoping, every single one of these was delightfully different from the rest. The high toned Koch El and the slightly flat Jarquin (which I've reviewed before: • Weekend Espadin Mezcal... ) aren't bad at all, even if they struggle to stand out in this crowd. The Bozal - which upon further research, is actually a vegetarian pechuga, sorry for getting this wrong - is lime all the way, and it's utterly delightful even if I don't know what to do with it.
The whole rest of the lineup is just killer without qualification. The Lachigui is dark and moody while still being shamelessly delicious. The Cuentacuentos is a silky clay-distilled mouth massage, especially with water. If the Mezcalosfera wins, it's because I'm a pickle maniac and it's an espadín-toned pickle bomb.
The best part? None of these are even that expensive by mezcal standards, the most expensive being around ninety bucks. You'll have a hard time finding these exact batches, of course, but keep an eye out for ones like them. In the meantime, stay tuned for Part II...
Extra special thanks to my Different Spirits on Patreon ( / differentspirits ) -
Eric Amig
Jamie Brown
Kingsbury bushcraft
Rob D
Liam Davitt
Joe Devine
Stephen Eckert
eon Ingmar nine
Steve Frazee
Ian Gendler
John Halliday
Jason Newquist
Kyaru
No Thanks
Matthew Ruiz
RumSquirrel
Dallas Shatel
Chris Sherman
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[@none_remaining]

Enjoyed the neighborhood sounds FWIW. A welcome and indulgent return to espadin. Always helpful to hear how not-all-the-same it can be.

[@differentspirits4157]

Thanks! I'm beginning to think that differences in the producer might actually matter more than differences in the base agave...

[@Surfratglass]

Excited to see you try these in a Copita. It enhances the aroma and taste.

[@differentspirits4157]

I'm just kind of used to glencairns, to be honest. 😂 A remnant of my scotch nerd days, I suppose...