Montelobos Espadin Mezcal

A very classic, stylish and easy drinking mezcal. Gentle aromas of wood smoke, damp earth, honey and freshly cut grass. In the mouth, medium-bodied and wonderfully balanced, sophisticated integration of roasted agave, subtle smokiness wrapped up in flavours of ripe tropical fruit and grilled rosemary. The finish, long and fruit-driven, with mango, green pepper, chocolate and smoke wood.

• Distillery: Montelobos
• Type: Joven Mezcal
  
• Region: Oaxaca, Mexico
  
• Alcohol: 43.2%
  
• Volume: 700ml
  
• Other: Espadin agave, organically grown
• Goes with: Neat or over ice, premium soda
  

Montelobos Espadín was created with the aim of showing the complex but perfect balance between the four basic flavour profiles in artisanal mezcal: green agave, cooked agave, smoke and wild fermentation.

Montelobos (mountain of wolves) is an unaged mezcal produced from organic espadín agave. The agaves are sourced from Loma Larga in Santiago Matatlán Oaxaca. After roasting for 5-7 days in a volcanic stone pit, the agaves are crushed with a tahona and allowed to naturally ferment. Montelobos was created by Dr. Iván Saldaña and is produced by 5th generation mezcalero, Don Abel Lopez.

THE PURSUIT OF PERFECTION

Born from centuries of ancient mezacalero craft and enlightened by the methodical pursuit of true perfection.

Meticulously crafted, artisanally produced and strikingly balanced, Montelobos mezcal is an experience unto itself.

Montelobos is an unmistakable symbol of Mexican territory and craftsmanship. A unique spirit, meticulously crafted with the same traditional and artisanal mezcal techniques used for 500 years.When tasting Montelobos you explore and celebrate all the abundant flavours of the highest quality organic agave.

THE KEY TO MEZCAL FLAVOR IS BALANCE

“The driving force in the CREATION of MONTELOBOS was to produce a mezcal that would express the innate expectations within the agave plant:

A mosaic of BALANCE and COMPLEXITY that allows one to discover something new every time within one of the most layered, indulgent spirits.”

- Iván Saldaña -

TEQUILA or MEZCAL?

Most mezcal is still produced largely the way it has been. It is distilled from maguey, a species of agave plant that comes in many different varieties. To make a proper mezcal, you must first harvest the agave piñas and then roast them for days in an underground fire pit. It is from here that mezcal takes its distinctive smoky flavour. The piñas are typically ground using a horse or mule-drawn tahona and the mash, or tepache, is left in stone, leather or wood vats to ferment. Once fermented, the liquid is distilled in copper or clay stills and the mezcal is complete.

Tequila is made only from the blue agave variety and produced in much larger volumes in a more modern, mechanized fashion. For most tequilas, the autoclaves and brick ovens where pinas and agave hearts are cooked operate using pressurized steam produced in petrol boilers. Unlike artisanal mezcal, there is no fire pit involved. The fibres from the steam-cooked agave are separated from the juices, producing a very different flavour.

MONTELOBOS AND WOLF CONSERVATION, "WE WANT OUR WOLVES TO REMAIN WILD"

Montelobos are a proud partner of The WCC (The Wolf Conservation Center), a non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of wolf populations in North America through its three-pronged mission of education, advocacy, and species recovery. The WCC participates in the federal species survival and recovery programs for the critically endangered Mexican gray wolf and red wolf. Home to 51 wolves, the WCC is the pre-eminent facility in the northeastern United States for the breeding and pre-release care of endangered wolves.

• Double Gold - 2022 World Spirits Competition, San Francisco
  
• Gold - 2019 The Tequila & Mezcal Masters (The Spirits Business)
  
• 95/100 Points - Tastings.com
  
• 93/100 Points - 2021 Ultimate Spirits Challenge