La Venenosa, Raicilla, Sierra Volcanes de Jalisco

THE HOLY SPIRITS VIEW
Raicilla is mezcal’s wild cousin from Jalisco, and La Venenosa is the label that brought it out of the shadows. This red label comes from Don Arturo Campos in the Sierra Volcanes, a region said to hold the oldest distillation tradition in Mexico. Cenizo Gigante agave, pit-roasted, wild-fermented in stone and run through clay pot stills: it’s about as hands-on as spirit-making gets, and there’s very little of it in the UK.
 
THE PRODUCER: LA VENENOSA
La Venenosa (“the poison”) was created by chef Esteban Morales, who travelled Jalisco looking for the best raicilleros in each region and bottling each one on its own terms. Launched in 2014, it was the first raicilla brand to enter the US market legally. Raicilla itself has a cheeky origin: in the 1780s, mezcal makers rebranded their spirit “raicilla” to dodge a Spanish Crown tax on mezcal.
 
THE SPIRIT: SIERRA VOLCANES DE JALISCO (RED LABEL)
Made by Maestro Don Arturo Campos in San Juan Espanatica, Tuxpan, at around 1,400 metres on sandy volcanic soils. The agave is 100% Cenizo Gigante, roasted in a stone-lined pit with black oak, fermented with wild yeast in stone pit fermenters, then double-distilled in clay pot Filipino stills. Unrested, bottled at 45.6% ABV.
 
TASTING NOTES
Sweet cooked agave and red berries first, wet earth, black pepper, a whisper of aged cheese, vegetal smoke sitting low. Oily, structured palate, pomegranate, stewed plum, zesty lemon, a leathery, mineral thread running underneath. Light smoke builds with air, pepper turning drier. Long, dry finish, slightly astringent, warm. Curious, savoury, properly alive.
 
Serve: Neat, in a small tasting glass, sipped slowly. It also holds its own in a Paloma if you want to play.