Peloton de la Muerte Espadin Mezcal

This 100% Maguey Espadin Joven Mezcal is as authentic as you can get with an earthy, vegetative profile.

Peloton de la Muerte is another Mezcal-icious brainchild of Danny Mena. He started a single boutique bar in 2005 — the only establishment focused exclusively on artisanal Mezcal in Mexico City. In 2007 they opened a similar bar in New York called "Hecho en Dumbo." From there it was a small step to acquiring and independently bottling the Mexican Spirits they love. Pelotón de la Meurte is a sub-brand of his Mezcals de Leyenda artisanal Mezcals — bringing his total to nine rare, small batch Spirits.

Peloton de la Muerte are focused on the Spirit of Mezcal. So when they do a release, they provide a lot of information — which, as Spirits nerds, we can’t get enough of. For Peloton de la Muerte Espadin Mezcal, the 100% Maguey Espadin agave is slow roasted for five days in a conical pit lined with lava rock. The roasted piñas are crushed with a stone tahona before naturally fermenting in the open air for four days. It is double distilled in small-batch (two-hundred liter) copper pots. The entire process takes place in an artisanal distillery in Tlacolula, Oaxaca. This Joven Mezcal is bottled at 41% ABV.

Smartass Corner:
In Spanish the word "Pelotón" means "platoon" or "squad." So, "Pelotón de la Muerte" means "Death Squad" and refers to an ad-hoc army assembled to avenge the brutal execution of a local priest and the desecration of his remains.