El Occidental Mezcal Oaxaca Espadin

El Occidental is an Oaxacan mezcal from Zimatlan de Alvarez, built around Espadin (Agave angustifolia) grown in high mountain country and made by maestro mezcalero Luis Leon Vazquez. The young brand, started in 2019, looks back to the agave distilling traditions of western Mexico, where Filipino and pre Hispanic methods met, and bottles this joven unaged at 47.3% to keep the agave forward.
The piñas are roasted for three days in an underground pit lined with wood and hot rock, then milled on a mechanical roller before fermenting with wild yeast in wooden vats filled with deep well water. Double distillation in a copper alembic gives an artesanal mezcal that reads fresh and lightly floral, with green vegetal notes, a soft sweetness and a stony mineral finish that stays short and gentle.