Description
FULL DESCRIPTION
Ilegal is named so, in honour of its founder, John Rexer’s early excursions to Mexico to buy mezcal from farmers and then smuggle it back up over the border to drink with his friends in the States. As hauling mezcal over the border became tiresome, combined with the realisation that there may be a market for the spirit outside of Mexico, John Rexer decided to go legit and launched Ilegal.
TASTING NOTES
Appearance: Light straw.
Nose: Roasted pear and candied orange.
Taste: Heavily charred créme brûlée with notes of lavender.
Finish: toffee leading to hints of tobacco.
Overall: Very light on the smoke with plenty of agave sweetness.
Gift
Ilegal are one of the few mezcal brands that offer barrel-aged expressions, which are excellent for easing newcomers into the category.
RECOMMENDATIONS
If the person you’re buying for is a fan of the Ilegal Reposado, you could also try Fortaleza Reposado or Dangerous Don.
Connoisseur
The literal translation of Mezcal is ‘oven-cooked agave’, the only real difference between Mezcal and Tequila is that Mezcal is not regulated to the 5 states, like Tequila is. It is predominantly made in the southern state of Oaxaca and unlike Tequila it can be made from ANY type of agave plant native to Mexico, but NOT blue. It is categorized from Blanco, through to Extra Anejo in the same way Tequila is and has grown massively in popularity recently. The production and ageing, all the way through to the bottling is generally the same as tequila.
ABOUT THE LIQUID
Ilegal mezcal is an artisanal mezcal produced in small batches, each bottle is hand corked, labelled, and numbered. The Reposado is aged for 4 months in medium charred, ex-Bourbon barrels. The fourth-generation mezcaleros who craft Ilegal use only perfectly ripe Espad’n agave, double distilled in Oaxaca, Mexico.
INGREDIENTS
100% Espadin agave.
