Mezcal Salvadores Cirial

Mezcal Salvadores Cirial is a joven mezcal made by Flavio Perez Mendez and his family in Tlacolula de Matamoros, Oaxaca, from wild Cirial agave. Cirial is one of the tall forms of Agave karwinskii, kin to madrecuixe, bicuishe and barril, and takes up to thirteen years to reach maturity, which keeps it scarce and lends the mineral, herbal, savoury character of the karwinskii family. The family has made mezcal since the early 1900s and built the Casa Palacios distillery in 2019, registering the brand in 2020.
The agave is cooked in a conical earth pit, crushed with a tahona stone drawn by a horse and double distilled in copper. The underground roast pushes an intense smoke, while the aroma carries sweet cooked agave, orange blossom, jasmine, mushroom, damp earth, vegetal notes and wood. The palate is savoury and umami driven, with mushroom and green notes, an occasional sweetness, rosewater and powdered sugar, and a dry, faintly cured edge.