Del Maguey Wild Jabali is a single village mezcal made from the wild-growing agave Jabali. This type of agave is among the most unusual in commercial mezcal, not only because it is rare in nature, but also because it reportedly tends to foam violently during fermentation, making it difficult to work with. But it’s worth the effort! It is bottled at 45% alcohol, of course without additives of any kind.
Color: Clear.
Aroma: Fresh figs, baked apples, star anise and parmesan.
Tasting notes: Super balance and complexity, with a nice acidity and notes of violets, tarragon and sandalwood.
Serving suggestion: Should be enjoyed neat.
Reviews
Ultimate Spirits Challenge
95 points
Ultimate Spirits Challenge
“Savory passion fruit and sea salt spray aromas are vibrant and inviting. In the mouth the flavor opens with a burst of sea salt followed by pink peppercorn and hibiscus flower. White watermelon rind flavors are complemented by earthy thyme and lemon balm. Infinitely interesting. ” – 95 points / Extraordinary – Ultimate Recommendation
Started by Ron Cooper in 1995, Del Maguey is the world’s leading bottler of quality mezcal. Ron’s mission is to make good mezcal available outside of Mexico; something that used to be incredibly difficult – even almost impossible! Helping to lead the mission is Del Maguey’s exceptionally well-developed moral code, which goes far beyond what is normally seen in the industry. They are not trying to exchange glass beads for gold, but to spread knowledge of one of the world’s most complex and culturally important spirits in a responsible way, which gives something back to the local communities where the mezcal is produced, which guarantees that the small palenques can do it on the the same way they have done for hundreds of years and with the greatest respect for traditions, nature and the cultural, ritual and social importance that mezcal has in small villages in Mexico.
With Del Maguey, the concept of single village mezcal became an indicator of quality mezcal. Each mezcal in the range comes from one unique distillery in different villages around Mexico. They are not mixed together into large blends, but bottled separately, in order to showcase each village’s terroir – both in relation to the soil where the agaves grow, the naturally occurring yeast in the distillery, etc.
The vinos de mezcal series includes very limited releases of mezcal made from rare agave types such as tobala or arroqueño.
The bottles’ charming labels, which depict idyllic (and sometimes a little mystical) images of everyday Mexico, were designed by Ken Price.
