FORBES | The World’s Best Tequila And Mezcal: 2022 New York World Spirits Competition

Joseph V Micallef - I write about wines and spirits and the hidden corners of the world

The top two Mezcals at the 2022 New York World Spirits Competition.

PHOTO, COURTESY NEW YORK WORLD SPIRITS COMPETITION

A Mezcal took the Best in Show award for Unaged White Spirit, in addition to the Best of Class Award, at The New York World Spirits Competition (NYWSC) 2022 judging. A broad range of Mezcal and Tequila spirits scored a gold medal or better - underscoring the ever-rising quality of agave spirits from Mexico. The winners were an eclectic mix that ranged from well-known industry stalwarts to a surprising number of new distillers.

The NYWSC is part of the family of wine and spirit competitions sponsored by the Tasting Alliance and includes the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the San Francisco International Wine Competition, the New York World Wine Competition, and the Singapore World Spirits Competition. The NYWSC is an annual spirit judging held in New York in late summer.

The top prize for the Best in Show Un-Aged White Spirit was Mezcal Akul, Espadin-Tepeztate from Oaxaca. The Mezcal also took top prizes for Best of Class Mezcal and Best of Class Agave Spirit. It’s produced by Destileria Sacrifico in Oaxaca.

Mezcal Akul is produced exclusively from Espadin agave, from what the company calls both “wild and semi-wild” agave plants. Espadin is also called Maguey Espadin and Agave Angustifolia var. haw. Espadin is indigenous to the Oaxaca region of Mexico, although it is grown widely in Mexico, and is adaptable to a wide range of climates.

There are over 100 different types of agaves that can be used to produce Mezcal. Roughly 74% of the Mezcal produced in Mexico and 90% of the Mezcal produced in Oaxaca, however, are made using Espadin.

Mezcal is produced all over Mexico, although the official geographic region for its production is limited to just 10 states: Oaxaca, Durango, Puebla, Guerrero, Michoacan, Zacatecas, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Jalisco, and Guanajuato.

The boundaries of the official production zone are still being refined and may change. About 90% of all the Mezcal exported to the US is produced in Oaxaca. Another 9% is produced in Durango. The other eight states account for about 1% of production.

Mezcal Akul has a lengthy production process. The agave piñas are cooked for roughly two days in stone ovens that are heated with a combination of mesquite and ocote wood. Ocote is the resinous wood found in the heart of an old pine tree. It is very aromatic and when burned imparts the aroma of copal incense.

Crushing takes approximately seven days using a tahona powered by either horse or manually. Fermentation lasts for four days and is followed by a double distillation in copper pot stills over three days. The result is a Mezcal that the company describes as “artisanal with a modern contemporary approach.”

The official tasting notes described the Mezcal as:

Sweet and fruity, with a touch of smokiness on the nose. Sweet on the palate, with tropical fruit notes and a hint of anise. Drying with some chili pepperiness on a long finish, accompanied by lingering dried fruit and herbal notes.

The runner-up for Best of Class Mezcal was Ojo de Tigre, Mezcal Joven produced by Casa Lumbre. The Mezcal is crafted from a combination of Espadin agave from Oaxaca and Agave tobala from Puebla.

The judging panel described the Mezcal as:

Earthy and pungent on the nose, with dried mushroom and herbal notes. Slightly sweet on the palate, with herbal and slightly medicinal notes. Long finish, with a lingering medicinal and slightly smoky note.

Other top-scoring Mezcal brands included Codigo 1530, Artesanal Mezcal Finished in Sauvignon Blanc Barrels, and Los Vecinos del Campo, Mezcal Espadin.

Among the top scoring Tequila brands were Astral, Tequila Blanco; Don Fulano, Imperial Extra Añejo Tequila; Gran Coramino, Añejo Tequila; and Severo, Añejo Cristalino Tequila.

Also winning a gold medal was Revel Spirits, Avila Reposado. Revel describes this expression as an “agave spirit” since it is produced in the state of Morellos and is outside the official Tequila-producing zone. It uses a combination of blue agave (Agave tequilensis) piñas cooked in conventional steam ovens, as well as ones roasted in a stone-pit oven. The juice from the two agaves is mixed for fermentation, after which it undergoes a triple distillation.

For a complete list of all the 2022 agave medalists visit the Tasting Alliance website.

Cheers