Xicaru Silver Mezcal

 

Xicaru Silver Mezcal Review

    Sweet and extremely smoky, I spilled a little on my hand while pouring this evening, and it smells like mesquite barbeque now. It's such a rich smoky flavor, simply smelling it causes salivation. Very layered flavors in the mouth. It honestly feels like lukewarm tap water in the mouth, but the taste is so complex. Immediately earthy. Rich flavors that taste as a garden smells, that gives to a soft chocolatey herbal note, that gives to a heavy smoke. Honestly, while this is no dig at the mezcal itself, it's a bit much for my palate. I'm sure there are people who would drink this and scarcely blink. If you enjoy islay scotches, this might be an interesting foray into agave spirits for you. But this is really beyond what I am capable of making too many objective comments about. 8/10 Would love to revisit as my palate grows.

What is a Mezcal?

    Mezcal is a spirit distilled from agave, just like a Tequila, however a Tequila is usually made from steamed agave, and a Mezcal is usually made from smoked agave. Tequilas are also made from only one kind of agave, the "Blue Webber", or "Blue Tequila" agave, where as Mezcal can be made from a few dozen varieties, and sometimes there is a "foraging" component to it, where Mezcal makers will find wild agave plants, where as Tequila is more frequently made from entirely farmed agave, particularly larger brands. While I am not expert on Mezcal or Tequila, I have heard them compared to a rectangle and a square. Where as all Tequilas could probably be called a Mezcal, not all Mezcals could be called Tequila.
    The Mexican government also now has a certification process before you can sell your product as "Mezcal" so a lot of smaller manufacturers are selling their product as "Distilled Agave Spirit" which is correct, but it meets every definition for mezcal besides the legal one. Really what you want to look for when buying a Tequila or a Mezcal is that it says "100% Agave Spirit" Agave plants take a long time to grow, and recently a lot of manufacturers have been taking neutral grain spirit and mixing it into their agave spirit, and maybe adding some agave flavoring in order to make a facsimile of the real deal. It's a hangover waiting to happen, and it takes money from the real manufacturers in Mexico who are just trying to make a living doing things the right way.


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