An agave spirit from Candido Garcia that is guaranteed to change what you think is possible with Espadin. The level of complexity and clarity of flavor here is up there with the best mezcals we have tasted. The notes continue to evolve in the glass, so sip it slowly and watch it transform from avocado leaf, honeysuckle, mineral, and lime zest to bitter melon, white currant, ripe persimmon, and dried sweet chiles. Exceptional stuff.
If you speak Spanish, you may be familiar with a "capon:" an unfortunate rooster who's been castrated to fatten it up for cooking. Oddly, if you are a mezcal nerd, you may also be familiar. When agave is at the end of its life it shoots up a giant flowering stalk or quijote, the plant's reproductive organ.
That's good news for bat and hummingbird pollinators, but not if you want to make mezcal, as nutrients and sugars are pumped out of the pina, into the quijote. Sometimes, a farmer will let the plant bloom, then cut the stalk and watch. It requires absurd levels of detail and care, so it's rare. But the heart of the plant comes close to bursting as it keeps pumping out sugar and flavor. Foie gras style.
The Neta mezcals are all exceptional, and this, a 1yr capon, stunned me with its balance of classic agave purity to incredible richness.
