While mezcal is nowhere near as big as tequila in terms of sales and number of brands on the market, there are some new entries that are worth highlighting. One of those is Desolas, which has only been around since 2020. The brand just made a pretty big splash with the release of what it is calling the first ever single barrel añejo expression made from the Salmiana agave varietal. We got an early taste, and it’s very good.
While tequila can only be made from Blue Weber agave in a few different Mexican states, mezcal can be made from many different agave varietals in nine states—Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Michoacan, Guerrero, Durango, Tamaulipas, Puebla, Zacatecas, and Guanajuato. Mezcal is commonly produced from espadín agave, but it can be made from many others, and each one affects the flavor. The production process usually involves many traditional practices, the most important of which is baking the agave in a pit in the earth to give it the smoky flavor that defines much of the category. Of course, that flavor can vary, ranging from heavily smoky to hardly at all depending on the way it’s produced.
Desolas was founded in 2020 by GG Mirvis with a focus on creating a less smoky version of mezcal that is made only from Salmiana agave in San Luis Potosi, where the pinas are cooked above the ground in horno ovens instead of underground pits. That means that the focus is less on smoke and more on the agave (Salmiana is known as the “green giant” and is said to be quite herbaceous). Desolas launched with a blanco (or unaged) expression, which is most common in the mezcal category, but it launched a reposado this fall that was aged in bourbon barrels for six months.
This month, the brand is introducing a single barrel añejo expression, which as mentioned before it claims to be the first of its kind (this does appear to be the case, at least on a widely available level). The mezcal was aged for a total of 31 months in two ex-bourbon barrels, yielding two different expressions. One barrel was placed at the top of the “aging facility” (perhaps not a warehouse due to this wording), and the other at the bottom to see how different microclimates would affect the flavor, and both were bottled at cask strength of 104 proof. According to the brand, barrel one was named “Golden Horizon” due to its “vibrant and youthful flavor profile,” while barrel two was named “Ember Sol” for its “immense sweetness and spice.” “Single barrel releases are a rarity in the mezcal world,” said chief strategy officer Sammy Halpern in a statement. “Our Single Barrel Añejo is bold, refined, and distinctive. Each barrel brings its own character, transforming our bright, botanical mezcal into something truly one of a kind.”
We got to sample this release and it’s one that its worth seeking out. There is barely any smoke on the palate, as you might expect, and perhaps what is there is more from the time it spent in oak than the actual production process. The agave character shines through, but there are rich notes of vanilla, maple, espresso, and some fresh cut grass as you sip, and at that high proof a bit of heat wraps up the finish. A little more than 200 bottles of each single barrel are available starting this month at select retailers (SRP $200), and you can find the original blanco at websites like ReserveBar.
Authors
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Jonah Flicker