Del Maguey Wild Jabali Mezcal

Del Maguey Wild Jabalí is a single-village Oaxacan mezcal made from Jabalí (Agave convallis), one of the wildest and most awkward magueyes to work with because it foams so violently in the still. The maguey grows only in rock crevices and on cliffs and takes close to twenty years to ripen, so the maestro mezcalero Don Rogelio Martinez Cruz, who also makes Del Maguey's Tobalá and Tepeztate, releases it in tiny quantities.
After the jima the piñas roast for up to thirty days in an underground pit, are crushed in a horse drawn tahona and ferment for around twelve days on wild yeast. The result is bottled joven at 47% to keep the agave forward. Expect fig, fresh baked apple and star anise, floral violet and herbal tarragon, with ember, pepper and a hint of grilled char from the long roast, finishing on baked apple and anise.