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Super-premium Cinco Diamantes Mezcal Añejo is one of the finest examples you can lay your hands on.

Cinco Diamantes is owned by Señor Javier Bautista Olivera and operated by him and his five daughters—thus the five diamonds in the company name. This is a small, family-owned operation—located in Tlacolula, Oaxaca—is artisan in every sense of the word. Everything is hand-harvested, stone-ground, cedar-roasted, and small-batch distilled in the Zapotec tradition.

They make Mezcal and only Mezcal, and the spirits they produce are some of the finest examples you can lay your hands on. Their super-premium Mezcals are certified organic and aged in medium-charred, American white oak casks. Currently, only a Reposado and an Añejo are available in extremely limited quantities. These are a “must have” for all fans of the agave spirits.

Cinco Diamantes Mezcal Añejo is definitively and Añejo—meaning that it has been aged from 3 to 5 years in those toasted white oak casks. And a big part of the dense, complex flavor is due to the fact that it is made from 100% Espadín Agave and bottled at a más feurté 47.2% ABV. That’ll put some fringe on your sombrero.

Normally, a nice, strong ABV like that would tempt the bartender to mix it into a cocktail. Well … OK, if you must. But really, this is not JUST a strong Mezcal, it is a finely crafted spirit in its own right. Seems wrong to hide all that Mezcal-icious wonderfulness under cranberry juice and an orange slice. We say, sip it neat and savor and leave the fruity drinks for the frat boys.

SmartAss Corner
Tequila and Mezcal … they are like brothers who are so much alike that they do not get along. Tequila—by legal definition—must be made within Jalisco or a few surrounding areas, and the good stuff is 100% pure blue agave. Mescal is made using largely the same processes, but can be produced in a variety of regions and the good stuff is made from 100% Espadín Agave.

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