Wahaka makes this in Oaxaca, from agave roasted in earthen pits before milling and distillation. Nothing is aged, so the spirit stays close to the plant it came from, and the smoke stays in the background rather than over the top.
- Joven, the unaged style of mezcal.
- 42% ABV, bottled at 750ml.
- Oaxaca, Mexico, from roasted agave.
- Distilled by Wahaka.
How it is made
Mezcal begins with agave, and in Oaxaca that usually means espadín, the variety most plantings are given to. The hearts are roasted in a pit lined with hot stones and covered with earth, which is where the smoke comes from. Then they are crushed, fermented, and distilled. A joven is bottled without time in wood, so what is in the glass is the agave and the fire, nothing else.
How it tastes
Bright and clean up front, with roasted agave sweetness running under it. Earthy and lightly smoky, then citrus and green herbs, and a warm peppery finish that lingers. Medium-bodied and smooth for the strength.
Where it comes from
Oaxaca is the heart of mezcal production, and espadín is the workhorse grape of the category, the one most bottles are built on. The state's highlands and valleys hold the largest concentration of palenques in Mexico, small distilleries working in the same way they have for generations.
Good to know
Mezcal carries a denomination of origin, and it covers several Mexican states, not Oaxaca alone. Tequila is mezcal too, made from blue agave in five permitted states. The word itself comes from the Nahuatl mexcalli, cooked agave.
