Kol Mezcaleria creates new house mezcals

The Sin Gusano project in Mexico has worked with Kol Mezcaleria to launch a line of six house mezcals and agave distillates for the London bar.

Kol Mezcaleria sits below Michelin-starred London restaurant Kol and is led by bar manager Matthias Ingelmann.

The six expressions come from San Luis Potosí, Oaxaca, Puebla and Jalisco and aim to highlight artisanal producers and the diversity of agave spirits.

Regulations allow only nine states to certify their spirits as mezcal, although 26 of Mexico’s 32 states produce spirits from agave. Sin Gusano refers to its expressions as ‘agave spirits’ to support the small producers and spirit varieties that existed long before and outside of these modern regulations.

Coyote is an ensamble mezcal (created with multiple species of agave), made from tobala, tepextate and coyote agaves in the village of San Luis Amatlán, Oaxaca. It is cooked in an earthen pit, distilled in a copper still and bottled at 47.2% ABV.

Another ensamble mezcal, Flora, is cooked in an adobe oven in El Jacal, Jalisco. It is also distilled in a copper still, and bottled at 44% ABV.

Verde is the third ensamble spirit in the range, made with tobala, coyote, barril espadín, cuishe and tepextate agaves in Oaxaca. It is cooked for 96 hours in an earthen pit and distilled in a copper still with lemongrass – meaning it cannot be described as a mezcal. It is bottled at 45.5% ABV.

Primavera and Verano are both made in Puebla using the marmorata agave, however Primavera’s agave is harvested during the wet season in the spring, while Verano is taken during the dry season in the summer. Both are cooked in an earthen pit and distilled in a copper still, with Primavera bottled at 46.8% and Verano at 45.8% ABV.

Diablo is a salmiana mezcal produced in the village of Palmar Segundo in San Luis Potosí. It is cooked in a brick oven for 72 hours, distilled in a clay pot and bottled at 49% ABV.

The new line will feature in Kol Mezcaleria’s cocktail menu and mezcal flights, as well as being available to purchase directly from the bar.

Each bottle is 700ml and features the name of the producer on the label.

Coyote, Primavera and Verano are priced at £120 (US$150); Verde and Flora are £130 (US$163); and Diablo is £160 (US$200).