Del Maguey Wild Papalome is produced by Fernando Caballero Cruz and his family in the Mixteca Alta region. The maguey Papalometl used in this expression, named in Nahuatl for the butterfly, has the scientific name agave Cupreata and resembles a giant Tobala. Distillation is done using a stainless steel pot with a clay condenser and Carrizo (Mexican bamboo) tube.
Thin to medium mouthfeel, no heat. Sweet cream, mildly smoky. Tobacco, soil, rhubarb, beets. Vibrant, effervescent fruitiness. Pear, mango, chili peppers. This was very nice. Unique, vibrant, and bursting with flavor. I bet it makes a wild cocktail, also.
It is dirty and gamey on the nose with notes of hot clay, charred pineapple and burning mesquite (no doubt enhanced by the clay in the condenser). The nose is mirrored on the palate although much sweeter than expected.
On the palate the mezcal offers few surprises. kicking off with a rather sharp but gently sweet note, then segueing into gentle smoke that influences notes of orange peel, lemon, green banana, and some white wine character. It’s definitely on the quiet side for mezcal, but pleasant and pretty from start to finish.
