A great profile piece by Drink Up London. We’re delighted to be participating at their sold out event, The Margarita Experiment.
Read the original article online here.
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GENTE DE MEZCAL AT THE MARGARITA EXPERIMENT
An artisanal mezcal from Gente de Mezcal – made using 100% Tobala agave from Oaxaca.
GENTE DE MEZCAL
70cl / 46%
Ensamble – Four Souls Bound with a Tendril of Smoke
An absolute treasure – soft on the nose, this ensamble of Coyote, Tobasiche, Lumbre and Barril hides the secrets well. The palate has graceful hints of dry wood smoke, barley and rye with a healthy tang of marinated red peppers which opens up the senses to this incomparable dram.
Gente de Mezcal was founded 7 years ago, by Hardey Martinez – a Colombian industrial designer who fell in love with mezcal after living next to a mezcaleria in La Condesa in Mexico City. On his hunt for the best mezcal producers in Oaxaca he met Aureliano Hernandez, a mezcal maestro from a long lineage of mezcal makers. They formed a partnership where Aureliano produces excellent mezcal and Hardey develops the brand. Gente de Mezcal’s range reflect the artistry and ancestral knowledge of a tradition that endures generation after generation. They offer emblematic batch productions, which are cultural treasures that preserve the flavour of Mexican Pueblos. It is easy to lose this quality of taste by even the smallest compromise. For this reason, every process is done by hand, from harvesting the agaves, roasting the hearts in pits, fermenting the pulp in wooden tubs and distilling the liquor in copper pots, to the bottling, hand labelling and delivery.
Hardey set up a Mezcal ‘salon’ in Mexico City offering tasting experiences to small groups, which have become popular with locals and tourists. He realised that to truly understand what good quality is, people need to know the full story of the agaves, the production and how this affects the taste. Reading the label is not enough. Through these experiences Gente de Mezcal is building a community of well informed mezcal lovers.
