Ilegal Mezcal Debuts 7-Year Aged Añejo, a Rarity in the Mezcal Industry

Ilegal Mezcal debuts 7-Year Añejo just in time for the holiday season. Photo: Ilegal/Bacardi

One of the most recognizable mezcal brands in the United States, Ilegal Mezcal, has just debuted a new 7-year-old añejo. The brand used just 35 French oak barrels to rest their new expression, resulting in a limited supply of yet undisclosed quantity.

The resulting spirit is said to bear the aroma of apple crumble and oak alongside a flavor profile of dark chocolate and stewed figs. Each of these wax-sealed bottles is currently up for retail at a suggested price of $175.

Ilegal Mezcal is perhaps one of the best-known mezcal brands stateside other than Del Maguey.

Ilegal founder John Rexer first got into the business back in 2004, when he began smuggling bottles of mezcal from Oaxaca to a bar he owned in Antigua, Café No Sé. By 2006, mezcal had proved itself so popular that he decided he might as well create his own brand. Hence the name “Ilegal,” named after his semi-illicit beginnings smuggling mezcal in and out of the country.

The idea of a 7-year-old mezcal isn’t entirely new, but it’s certainly an exception within the industry. Though many of us may be familiar with aged tequila expressions, mezcal producers typically opt to leave their mezcal unaged to highlight a smoky and savory flavor profile.

John Rexer says that well-aged mezcals are not unprecedented, but rather have been lost to history.

He points to a long legacy of wood barrels, glass demijohns and clay canteros that were known to have been used in Mexican mezcal production as far back as the early 17000s. He says that Ilegal’s newest expression will help “resurrect a forgotten technique.”

You can find Ilegal 7 Year Añejo on the brand’s website here.

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