Post was not sent - check your email addresses! They weren’t sure what exactly they wanted to do, so they began visiting palenques in Oaxaca to talk to people about what would work. Mezcal: conocido por sus característicos sabores ahumados, el mezcal se puede producir a partir de 8 variedades diferentes de la planta de agave, como Espadin o Tobala.La mayoría de las notas ahumadas se derivan del proceso de producción, donde la piña se tuesta en pozos revestidos de piedra, se tritura y se agrega con agua a un barril para fermentar. Here are the big ones: The tahona that is used to mill the cooked agave before distillation. Conditions of Use; Privacy and Cookie Notice; UGC Policy; Accessibility; Do Not Sell My Personal Data; Responsibility.org; DRINKiQ; theBar.com © Diageo 2020 Mezcal Reviews on Facebook This increases their ability to introduce new people and new places to mezcal. I’m fascinated by the Solera process. Each palenque uses only the hearts rendered during distillation, not the puntas (heads) or colas (tails). Diageo has a distribution agreement with Mezcal Unión and completely owns Pierde Almas, while Pernod Ricard acquired a majority stake in … Pernod is one of the top five spirit companies in the world, along with Diageo, Brown-Forman, Bacardi and Suntory. There are several checks and balances in place to ensure consistency of Mezcal Union across their different producers. The little town rests between mountain slopes that have deep crevasses cut from flowing water in the rainy season. Johnnie Walker owner Diageo invested £550,000 (US$752,000) in the construction of a weir to increase the sustainability of fish stocks in the river Dullan. Sacacuento. They met an old man on one of these visits who explained that the growing popularity of mezcal is changing the demands on those who have been producing mezcal for generations. Brand Manager at Mezcal Union Denver, Colorado, United States 500+ connections. Bacardi bought a minority stake in Ilegal in February and Diageo has a distribution deal (and likely some equity stake or options) with Mezcal Union. An ensemble is there only offering. Mezcal Union. Last year, Mezcal Union, a five year-old brand, exported about a third of its production, mostly to its northern neighbor. In February of 2017, Mezcal Union signed a distribution agreement with Diageo. The most versatile Premium Mezcal on the market. We asked him why they no longer use Barril in their spirits, and he told us they realized that they were unable to source the Barril sustainably. They’re both young, energetic, and passionate about what they do. Mezcal El Silencio | 892 followers on LinkedIn. Excellent write-up! The stream next to it was dry due to lack of rain, but their mezcalero was grinding freshly cooked agave via horse-drawn tahona. It’s clear when talking to Andres that he cares deeply for the communities in which they work. Vermont-based rye whiskey producer Whistlepig has sold a minority stake to Moët Hennessy in a bid to help the brand expand internationally Smirnoff owner Diageo will donate US$10 million to support 25 Black educational institutes in the US as it seeks to expand diversity in the alcohol sector. His sole job is to form partnerships with farmers, helping them to plant agave based on estimated future demand. Most other brands that reach this level of demand in both Mexico and abroad have taken a very different path. Several varietals plus aged products out to 7 years. While Del Maguey is the first brand to be sold to one of the large spirit companies, there has been other action in the category. More tequila-like in production methods resulting in little smoke. Read more about Mezcal Union on our blog: Mezcal Union Palenque Tour (11) I just had Alejandro make a presentation with my Diageo rep, and the Union product is excellent, and it was very interesting going through the various steps, talking about the different varieties of Agave used, about the various distillers. With the help of their mezcalero, they began adding more palenques to produce their Uno mezcal. We met one of their co-founders, Alejandro, at a Mezcal Union tasting at Austin Wine Merchant a few months ago. Once they had several individual palenques making their mezcal, they realized that they needed to be more involved with the sourcing of their agave. Given the moves by both Diageo and Bacardi in the mezcal world– Mezcal Union and Ilegal Mezcal respectively, it was rumored that Pernod was looking to pick up a brand for its portfolio. You’ve likely seen it at a liquor store or at your local corner bar. To be clear, Diageo is not paying us. A few months after meeting Alejandro in Austin, we got a chance to catch up with Mezcal Union at their distillery in San Baltazar, Oaxaca. While Del Maguey is the first brand to be sold to one of the large spirit companies, there has been other action in the category. The British multinational Diageo sealed a deal to distribute Union, another large brand, in February, and this summer the tequila giant José Cuervo launched Creyente, the second mezcal … It involves fractionally blending new batches into a. Mezcal Union El Viejo, named in homage of the old man. In the beginning, the co-founders handled all the business, and they left their mezcalero to control the product. If you want to go far, go together,” he told us. It’s Sotol from the sta, Overjoyed that these new @sotoleros have finally a, This unique destilado de agave uses pulque (fermen, #mezcalmonday Vago Elote from the Hijos de Aquilin, Del Maguey Tobala has been on the market for over, #mezcalmonday Mezcalero Don Jose Lucas and his son, El Jolgorio Tepeztate: Tasting 5 Different Batches, Maguey Melate Espadin – Lidia Hernández Hernández, Mezcalosfera Tobala/Madrecuixe – Felipe Cortés, Mezcalosfera Tobala/Verde/Madrecuixe/Cuixe/Espadin – Felipe Cortés. Mezcal Reviews on Instagram, © Mezcalerbro 2016-2021 • Privacy & Terms. The process seems to be something that gives them better consistency without jeopardizing the families they’ve been working with for many years. He said that future mezcaleros would not be able to do all of the distilling, bottling, branding, marketing, sustainability efforts, etc…that are essential to the growing demands of the profession. That’s how they named the company, and that’s how they decided to make a mezcal that featured different producer families. Each palenque uses the same processes for producing their spirits. It’s a win-win. They drove us to San Baltazar, a small town surrounded by agave-rich hills, about 90 minutes outside of Oaxaca City. Alejandro’s acknowledgement of this issue is crucial, and it illustrates what really makes Mezcal Union unique. These other brands have opted to begin producing in large, industrial, tequila-like distilleries, which runs counter to what Union initially set out to accomplish. If you’ve ever looked at their bottle closely, you may have noticed that it’s made with both agave Espadin and agave Cirial. The country’s beloved spirits professionals on how they’ll be enjoying the agave spirit in the coming cold winter months—from a mezcal hot chocolate to a Pinot Noir mezcal mule and beyond. Mezcal Reviews on Twitter It’s a good thing to be able to look behind the scenes in order to better understand who is doing what – and how – in the world of mezcal. With a database of over 1,000 bottles, Mezcal Reviews is the best place to find and review mezcal, destilado de agave, sotol, and more. Joven, Repo, Anejo, plus several varietals. Follow @mezcalreviews Diageo, the largest global spirits company and a VinePair investor, manages distribution for Mezcal Union. Andres runs Union’s operations from Mexico City and Pablo lives in Oaxaca and regularly checks on the different palenques that make their mezcal. This is noteworthy, because almost all other mezcals at their price point are made with strictly agave Espadin. The people and communities involved in the production of their mezcal are at the forefront of their plans moving forward. They wanted to make sure that their practices were as sustainable as possible. Diageo has acquired super-premium mezcal brand Pierde Almas as it seeks to develop the mezcal category in Mexico and around the world. In February, London-based Diageo… All locations cook the agave together with White Oak in stone hornos (underground ovens), mill the cooked agave by horse drawn tahona, and distill the mezcal in copper stills. Many varietals. Follow @mezcalreviews The agreement keeps the ownership of Union in the hands of its founders, while opening the doors to a wider distribution network. THE TOP TRAINING, INSPIRATION, AND NETWORKING HUB FOR PROFESSIONALS BARTENDERS. Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email. They didn’t want to be part of the extinction of an agave species, so they stopped using it. Scorpion. We’re just like you…we really, really like mezcal. Alejandro had connected us to Andres and Pablo. (This came the heels of Bacardi’s purchase of a minority stake in Ilegal Mezcal in February and Diageo’s distribution deal with Mezcal Union last year.) With the addition of these palenques, the Union was born, and the co-founders began seeing the positive impact that their cooperative brand could have on the rural communities that made their mezcal. The partnership between Union and Diageo keeps Mezcal Union in the hands of its founders, while allowing Union to pick and choose which distributors and importers they want to work with across the globe. Kudos! Andres described himself and his Union colleagues as Social Entrepreneurs, and the Solera process allows them to maintain a high level of social impact. Siete Misterios. In February, London-based Diageo, the world’s largest distiller, signed a distribution agreement with Mezcal Union, a Mexico City-based brand that’s only five years old. These partnerships help the farming families maximize their ability to sustainably meet demand, while still allowing them autonomy to operate within the Union network. This long growing cycle makes it extremely difficult to estimate future demand, and no one predicted the current mezcal boom, which has put stress on the industry. The partnership between Union and Diageo keeps Mezcal Union in the hands of its founders, while allowing Union to pick and choose which distributors and importers they want to work with across the globe. *Supported Diageo Tech Ventures program, leading performance management reviews and implementation of marketing pilots ... * Partnered with Union Mezcal … The average agave Espadin takes 8-10 years before it reaches maturity and wild agave takes even longer. They do this without putting forth any replanting initiatives, and thus putting further stress on the fragile agav-e-conomy. When we told a bartender in Oaxaca that we were headed out to visit Mezcal Union, he asked how much Diageo was paying us to write a blog post. Some mezcal purists reading this might cringe at the Solera process, but let’s consider the alternative. The last thing that we wanted to discuss with Andres was Diageo. Read more about Mezcal Union on our blog: Mezcal Union Palenque Tour There may be slight variations of flavor from batch to batch, but not much, as they are now using a Solera process to ensure better consistency. In fact, no one is paying us. Mezcal Union’s founder realized farmers of the agave it used weren’t getting a fair cut so it actually rallied them to form a union. So how do they get a consistent spirit from bottle-to-bottle and batch-to-batch if their mezcal is made in 14 different palenques by 14 different families? In order to move the spirit of mezcal forward, and increase the livelihood of those involved in producing it, some sort of co-op or union needed to be created, which is how they got the name for their brand. Many large brands seeking to capitalize on the quick growth and popularity of mezcal are buying all of the agave they can find. Andres grabbed a few bottles of mezcal, some veladoras, and a six pack of Modelo Especial from the trunk of the car. Expect to see more this year. The world's No.1 premium drinks company brings all you need to help you raise the bar and your career: training and education, bar news, cocktail trends, drinks inspiration, a global network of experts and words from gurus and bartenders all around the world. Bacardi bought a minority stake in Ilegal in February and Diageo has a distribution deal (and likely some equity stake or options) with Mezcal Union. This increases their ability to introduce new people and new places to mezcal. They picked us up at our Airbnb in Centro around 9am and took us to an amazing breakfast of coffee, Oaxacan hot chocolate, and some of their favorite Oaxacan breakfast plates. While currently a drop in the ocean compared to tequila consumption, the big boys of Pernod Ricard and Diageo (respective owners of Del Maguey, Mezcal … Mezcal Reviews on Twitter They own spirits companies across the world, and they just started working as a distributor for Union. In February, London-based Diageo, the world’s largest distiller, signed a distribution agreement with Mezcal Union, a Mexico City brand that’s only five years old. We arrived at the palenque (distillery) to find that it was completely off the grid, with no electricity or running water. All jovens. Mezcal Union is in the beginning stages of implementing a Solera process, which they’re adapting from other alcohol beverage industries like wine, beer, and brandy. If you’ve been drinking Union for as long as us, you may also recall that older batches included agave Barril as well. He’s confident in the positive changes that Union is able to create for everyone involved in each step of the production process. We walked over to the thatched roof, open-air structure near the horno, and sat down to talk about Mezcal Union. Seems like a good way for Mezcal producers to handle growth and promote consistency. The agreement keeps the ownership of Union in the hands of its founders, while opening the doors to a wider distribution network. For those who don’t know, Diageo is one of the world’s largest, publicly traded alcohol companies. Mezcal Union El Viejo Mezcal; Oban 14 Year Old; Ypióca Cinco Chaves Cachaça “As Alcohol Responsibility Month, April’s a great time to learn more about the importance of enjoying these award-winning brands responsibly,” said Guy Smith, EVP, Diageo North America. Union is one of the most commonly found mezcals for cocktails in the US and Mexico. Have you tried Palmilla? To do this, they hired a new employee to work directly with agave farmers. Intense and explosive, yet endless in character. The road out to the Palenque was well off the paved highway, down a steep and winding dirt path that has a sharp open ledge that drops off several hundred feet at times. Read more about Mezcal Union on our blog: Mezcal Union Palenque Tour. Though Pedro Hernandez is their master mezcalero, each bottle is produced by a union of Oaxacan families. As you may have read in our Sustainability Blog Post, the future of agave is a serious concern as mezcal continues to gain more international acclaim. They soon realized, however, that they needed to increase production in order to meet demand. report this profile about during the first phase of the development of the project of mezcal uniÒn we managed to capture more than 150 clients using as strategy the mixology within the centers of consumption, that what today marks as trend in the tourist zone of tulum . 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