Del Maguey Iberico is a unique collaboration between Del Maguey founder Ron Cooper and James Beard Award-winning chef Jose Andres and his ThinkFoodGroup team a mezcal produced using a third distillation in which legendary Iberico de Bellota ham (free-range, acorn-fed black-footed Iberian pig from Spain) is incorporated into the still, drawing on the same ancient pechuga distillation tradition as Del Maguey’s Pechuga but replacing the chicken breast with one of the world’s most prized cured meats.

The concept bridges the culinary worlds of Oaxacan mezcal tradition and Spanish gastronomy in a way that should not work on paper but produces a spirit of extraordinary complexity. The Iberico de Bellota ham known for its intense umami, nutty fat character, and deep savory complexity from acorn-fed free-range pigs contributes those same qualities to the mezcal vapor during the third distillation. The result is a mezcal that carries a spicy floral nose of carnation, tropical aromatics of gardenia and jasmine, ripe pear, and dark fig alongside a big, round, full-bodied palate and a long finish of roasted root vegetables, terracotta minerality, and umami that is unlike any other spirit in the Del Maguey range.

Tasting Notes

• Nose: Spicy florals of carnation, tropical aromatics of gardenia and jasmine, ripe pear, dark fig, notes of wet green hay and forest floor
• Palate: Enters the mouth like caramel round, soft, gentle, and full-bodied with a big middle palate
• Finish: Long with roasted root vegetables and umami, leaving terracotta, slate-like minerality, and a touch of salinity

Specs

• Producer: Del Maguey Single Village Mezcal x ThinkFoodGroup (Chef Jose Andres)
• Style: Triple distilled third distillation with Iberico de Bellota ham (free-range, acorn-fed black-footed Iberian pig)
• Tradition: Pechuga distillation tradition Oaxacan pre-colonial method
• Size: 750ml

Browse all mezcal at Wooden Cork.

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