Banhez Joven Arroqueno Mezcal 750ml

Banhez is produced by a cooperative of more than thirty-five families known as Integradora Comercial de Ejutla, based in the small village of San Miguel Ejutla in Oaxaca's central valley. The co-op has committed itself to sustainable, fair-trade mezcal production, continuing methods handed down through nearly two centuries of family tradition. This Arroqueño comes from mezcalero Apolonio Patricio López, who distills in San Agustín Amatengo, another Ejutla community within the cooperative's network.

Arroqueño, a variety of Agave americana, is one of the largest agaves used in mezcal and among the slowest to mature, taking anywhere from fifteen to twenty-five years and growing only in remote pockets of rural Oaxaca. The harvested piñas are roasted underground, then fermented naturally with wild yeast for five to six days before a copper pot distillation, a process that concentrates the agave's deep, dark sugars into a rich, dense spirit far removed from brighter Espadín styles.

The result is earthy and dark, layered with subtle smoke and an underlying sweetness. Vanilla, caramel, and milk chocolate lead the palate, joined by dates, toffee, and toasted almonds, with a savory, musty funk lingering through the finish.