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Feature
Spirits Master: Mezcal Koch El Tepeztate
In the first instalment of SB’s new series of articles celebrating some of the world’s best-tasting spirits, we shine a light on a terroir-focused mezcal.
Taste Master: Mezcal Koch El Tepeztate
Throughout the year, The Spirits Business hosts a renowned blind-tasting competition series, called The Global Spirits Masters.
Each round in the competition is judged completely blind by an independent panel of judges, including leading buyers, bloggers and bartenders. The only information the panel receives is the category the spirit has been entered into, its abv, and in some cases its price bracket.
The competition allows large and small brands to be assessed side by side without brand prejudice, on nothing but taste alone, and consistently yields fascinating results. Master, Gold and Silver medals are awarded to impressive entries across a variety of price points, styles and regions.
In this new series of articles, we celebrate some of the top-scoring Master medallists from the competition, starting with Mezcal Koch El Tepeztate, which was assessed in our Tequila & Mezcal Masters earlier this year.
In addition to receiving a Master medal, the spirit was named Taste Master – meaning it was deemed ‘best in class’ among the Master recipients on the day.
Judged in the 100% Agave Mezcal Joven leg of the competition, Mezcal Koch El Tepeztate won praise for its “expressive” profile.
One of the judges commented: “This has great balance between sweetness, spiciness and smokiness. I found notes of pineapple, banana skin, a little mace, cherry yoghurt, caramelised apples, rocket and eucalyptus. It’s incredibly complex.”
The mezcal is made exclusively using the relatively uncommon Tepeztate variety of agave in the Oaxaca region of Mexico. Due to its artisanal production and ingredients, Mezcal Koch El Tepeztate is situated at the higher end of the mezcal price bracket, with an RRP of around US$100.
To see the full list of medallists from our Tequila and Mezcal Masters 2019, click here. If you’re interested in entering your brand into The Global Spirits Masters, contact Rhiannon Morris – rhiannon.morris@thespiritsbusiness.com – for more details.