Demand for mezcal was low for years, but interest and sales have soared. The vast majority of the spirit is made in Oaxaca, Mexico, where family-owned distilleries dot the landscape.
Cecilia Vega travels to Oaxaca and meets the Mezcaleros laboring to quench the world’s thirst for Mezcal. The handcrafted Mexican spirit, made from agave, has seen exponential growth in popularity and production.
I tend to horde fine mezcals in my liquor cabinet, and the latest entry is the newly released Reposado Caribbean Cask Finish from Ilegal Mezcal. The spirit spends time in two oak barrels before being bottled and sold – first, it spends four to six months in American oak barrels, before being finished in 215 barrels that previously aged 8-year Caribbean rum.
This gives a beachy flavor to a spirit produced in the high country, and the combination is undeniably unique and satisfying. Not only is this great for your own stash, but it also makes a great gift for anyone who appreciates fine agave-based spirits.
Having a show like 60 Minutes devote a segment of primetime to a mezcal story is a huge effing deal, especially given how unknown it still remains outside of Mexico…how they covered the story would set a mark or tone for how others could follow. It is no understatement to say this was an enormous exposure.
Right off the bat, correspondent Cecilia Vega set the tone, introducing the story in front of a back drop that read The Mezcaleros. The story opens in a field of agave being harvested, then cuts away to a quick shot of a calenda in front of Santo Domingo before finally settling on Vega walking in an agave field with Armando and Alvaro Hernandez, the brothers who rebooted their family palenque Mal de Amor, and are producing for Ilegal Mezcal in Santiago Matatlan.
We’re all visiting Palenque Mal de Amor in Santiago Matatlán, a town in Oaxaca dubbed the “world capital of mezcal,” to learn about the the magic of the spirit right at its source, particularly the palenque’s work as the chief distillery partner for Ilegal Mezcal.
While I’m focused on absorbing the ins and outs of mezcal production, the band is more attuned to soaking up the vibes while preparing to head on stage the next night at Bar Ilegal in Oaxaca City. It’s the launch party for the 2023 Bar Ilegal Tour, with the mezcal brand celebrating two decades of history in its original home, Café No Sé in Antigua, Guatemala. SUSU will bring the party, Ilegal will bring the drinks and tattoo artists will be busy buzzing free tats in the back during the course of a three-country, eight-stop tour between April and December.
What are the best mezcal brands?
#1. Ilegal Mezcal Añejo
Looking to sample an aged mezcal? Go for this Ilegal Añejo. They use perfectly ripe roasted Espadín that’s then crushed, fermented in oak vats and double distilled in small copper stills. Finally, it’s aged for 13 months in American and French oak barrels. The result is a rich and rustic mezcal with notes of dark chocolate, orange and sweet agave.
Forbes: What does “success” for Ilegal look like to you?
John Rexer: “Success is seeing Ilegal on shelves all around the world. But that has to also come with a Oaxaca that benefits from the success. Ilegal starts in Oaxaca, a place I fell in love with many decades ago, a place of stunning natural beauty, but also all the problems facing our modern world. The success of our business must contribute to what our distiller partners in Oaxaca hope for their community, which includes better jobs, a cleaner environment, and preservation of their Zapotec culture. We have already made an impact, but there is still a long way to go.”
“Seven years ago, John was having a conversation about the history of aged mezcal and he had the idea,” Ilegal global brand ambassador Gilbert Marquez tells Men’s Journal. “He spoke to our master distiller and asked him to set aside some mezcal for a very special edition, and that’s where the 7-Year Añejo was born.” According to Marquez, the long aging process has imbued the spirit with some sweet notes that are reminiscent of cognac, but the whole point was to never lose the “ripe espadin agave” notes that are inherent to the spirit.
Why John Rexer Built Ilegal Mezcal to Be More Than Just a Sustainable Spirit Brand — It’s a ‘Positive Force’
What sets Ilegal apart? Its commitment to sustainability and social justice. And the proof is in the numbers: the brand has emerged as the number two mezcal by volume and the first by brand recognition in the U.S. — and it has achieved this growth without sacrificing its core values.
For Rexer, sustainability and ethical production have been essential from the beginning. He fell in love with Oaxaca’s beauty and the communities that make mezcal, and he wanted to create a positive impact. Ilegal’s commitment to preserving and fostering biodiversity and economic sustainability has been part of the brand’s DNA from the start.
Barrel aging isn’t a common practice among modern mezcal producers. But the latest limited release from Ilegal might persuade more of them to consider the cask. To make it, the palenque (distillery) in Tlacolula took its herbal-forward agave spirit and matured it for seven years in French oak—35 barrels’ worth of liquid in total. It’s woven with threads of roasted pineapple and chocolate-covered fig, and maintains a vegetal, eucalyptus-like undertone at its core.
