La Venenosa Costa Jalisco Raicilla 700ml (45.4%)

The agave in this Raicilla varies widely from batch to batch. Certain batches are 100% Agave Rhodacantha (Mexicano), and others are an ensamble of Amarillo and Chicho Aguilar. It is roasted in a wood-fired adobe oven. It is distilled two times in a Philippino still made of copper and a hollowed-out tree trunk.

Tasting Notes:

Costa agave spirits have a smoke hiding in the background and herbal notes dominating – this is a distillation of pure agave flavour taken to another level.

On the Nose: An intriguing combination of gravel, rubbery tire inner tubes, and old wood smoke. It’s very savoury, with no sweetness to start, but flashes of fruit and sweet spice emerge as it develops in the glass, along with farmyard notes, herbs, and green leaf bitterness.

On the Palate: The flavor is complex, bouncing between fruit, spice, and herbs, eventually settling on sweet spice. Sweeter and softer than the nose, with a building background of white pepper spice. Arrayed on top of that are orchard fruit, cooling menthol and mint, stony minerality, and aniseed ball spice. It’s complex, bouncing between fruit, spice, and herbs, eventually settling on sweet spice.

Finish: Green leaves, smoke, menthol, and a lingering note of lemon and menthol.