Mezcal Ajal Cenizo Agave

Mezcal Ajal is a joven from Durango, made from wild Cenizo (Agave durangensis) rather than the cultivated espadin behind most mezcal. The agave is hand harvested in the mountains without machinery after up to thirteen years of growth, and the spirit comes from a family operation run by six women, who built the business to bring paid work and a fuller role in community life to an underdeveloped region. This is the full 700 ml bottling.
Durango Cenizo tends to read fruity and almost creamy, and this is a tame, restrained mezcal rather than a heavily smoky one. Roasted agave smoke is wound through with soft almond and a refreshing citrus lift, an easy, gentle profile bottled at 40.5%. It suits drinking on its own or mixing, and serves as a calm introduction to the rugged northern Cenizo style and to a producer doing things differently in the trade.