Quiquiriqui Destilado con Cacao

47% ABV. As per the Mole, this was crafted by Carlos Méndez at his Palenque in Santiago Matatlán with the Quiquiriqui Espadín agave as its base. After pit-roasting, crushing and wild fermentation in wooden vats, it was distilled twice in alembic stills. Then, home-roasted coffee beans were added to the spirit and left to rest for two weeks before a final, third distillation.

Don’t be tricked into thinking this has any similarity to a Patron Café or Kahlua. This is unmistakably Mezcal, but here there is a beautiful balance between minerality and smoke, hints almost of oak-aged characters of chocolate and caramel, plus that fresh coffee citrus/sourness. After a deceptively dry nose, the palate its creamy and round, viscous, silky and sweet. There’s a great balance of bitterness on the finish so it doesn't cloy. Incredibly long, there are café nuances but they are very, very subtle, lending an almost woody/spicy profile rather than brash primary coffee flavours.