Rey Campero Pechuga de Codorniz Mezcal 2018

Rey Campero comes from Candelaria Yegole in the southern highlands of Oaxaca, the Sola de Vega district, where Romulo Sanchez Parada built the brand on his family palenque. This bottling is a pechuga, a mezcal given a final distillation with food hung in the still, here using grilled quail breast, codorniz in Spanish, alongside grilled pineapple, banana and corn. It is made from 100% Espadin, Agave angustifolia, by maestro Vicente Sanchez Parada.

Most pechugas run a third distillation over the added ingredients, but this one is distilled only twice, with the quail and fruit added after the first pass. Pit roasting brings the sweet cooked agave and a gentle ember note, while the additions lend roasted peanut, wet leaves and grilled corn. It rests three months in glass before bottling at 48.6%, leaving black pepper and a clean savoury finish.