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This mezcal is made in Oaxaca from espadin agave. Before being bottled it spends 10 to 12 months in American oak, resulting in a full-bodied spirit with intense notes of fruit and caramel, followed by a gentle smokiness.
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El Senorio Mezcal Extra Review:
El Senorio Mezcal Extra has a smoky but sweet aroma with tinges of lemon and medicinal herbs. It is very smooth with a smokey flavor with a hint of chocolate, and a dry smokiness that is pleasant in the finish.
Drunk straight or on the rocks it has a great body, and is very complimenting to BBQ and other smoked inspired dishes.
El Senorio Mezcal Review:
I use an El Senorio Mezcal Reposado Extra in our El Senorio Mezcal Margarita Cocktail and it is incredible. The smoky finish of the mezcal comes through and enhances the flavors of the citrus, the sugar and the agave.
100% Puro Mezcal is 100% Blue Agave Mezcal. The only ingredient other than agave is the vapor from the cooking process. The simplicity and purity of our mezcal, means there is no additives, preservatives or colouring. It is bottled as it comes from the still. The bottle is sealed with a natural cork which imparts the characteristic taste of mezcal.
Ingredients: Blue Agave, Pineapples, Sugar, Lemons
El Senorio Extra Mezcal was made from the espadin agave, which typically takes around 7-9 years to mature before it is harvested for mezcal production. Alberto Villareal, the founder of Oaxaca Distilling, which produces El Senorio Mezcal, is a seventh generation mezcal producer. The Villareal family long ago realized the value of their rich and abundant harvest of espadin agave. So, they chose to age their mezcal in American white oak casks which produces an amazing result.
The agave espadin takes 10 – 12 months to mature, but what many people do not realize is the care and craftsmanship that goes into producing the maguey plant.
Agave plants are not planted in the ground, they are planted in the deep dry soil, and mezcal producers have to plant around 5,000 plants per hectare in order to get a single harvest.
Agave plants are delicate. The process to select, gather and plant these plants requires delicacy if they are to flower, mature and produce the sap to make the base for El Senorio Extra Mezcal.
The harvesting process from the fields to the still is done by hand. The cut spiky leaves are padded with cloth to keep them from scratching the women who gather these plants every day for several months. The agave is then cut and freed from the root and left to bleed for 8 hours, this is necessary to get rid of excess liquid.
Once the bleeding process has finished women carry the agave plants on their heads for approximately 25 minutes back to the distillery. When the agave reaches the distillery, it is then cut is half and roasted for 4 days in a tray oven. Once the agave is roasted, then the juice is extracted from it, and then the liquid is cooked until it has a mezcal base. It is then distilled and allowed to rest.
What is very unique about the El Senorio Mezcal production is that it is produced in the traditional way that has been done by the Villareal family for generations. Using production techniques that are environmentally friendly and that minimize the impact on the earth of the distilling process.
It is worth mentioning that the family name, Villareal is the same as tequila’s world-renowned designation of ‘100% de Agave’. It is safe to say that the Villareal family is leading the way in supporting the sustainable production of excellent mezcal.
El Senorio Mezcal Extra Review:
As Mezcal has taken off in popularity over the past year, the quality of the spirit itself has started to decline, in my opinion.
El Senorio Mezcal Extra has come along and changed the game. This mezcal is so good that I’ve been forced to reconsider my feelings towards mezcal.
The nose on this mezcal is almost irresistibly fragrant. It opens with a lovely floral bouquet, shaded by a dusting of sap, a hint of cedar and a dash of oak. The nose is incredibly bright, but never too overpowering.
When you taste El Senorio Mezcal Extra, it is not as sweet as you might expect. There is a lovely smokey flavor that is soft and present, briefly accompanied by a mild effervescence. The taste is quite different from the nose, but no less pleasing, and a little goes a long way. It is sweet but not cloyingly so, and it is very very smooth. A splash of lime really brings out a coffee like flavour, but be careful, this mezcal is dangerously drinkable.
I added a little lemon to my glass, and it was fantastic. The El Senorio Mezcal worked well with a number of mixers, including lime, cranberry and apple, but my favorite was still an old fashioned, straight up. It is a great sipping tequila.
In the end, El Senorio Mezcal Extra is not a big macro-producer. Instead, it is a premium artisan spirit, made by hand from 100% puro mezcal. If I were to ever go back to mezcal, it would be this one.
The bottle is also a thing of beauty. It comes in a lovely box, with a cut-out lid. Underneath is the bottle, resting in a lovely cradle, surrounded by a band with key info on it. The bottle is very colorful, has a great label, with a cork stopper. The lettering is a nice size, with a nice solid font, and the label is embellished, but not too much.
