Region | Oaxaca (Messico) |
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Foundation Year | 2004 |
Address | Café no sé, 1st Avenida, Antigua, Guatemala |
Ilegal Mezcals have a story behind that is really exciting. Until a few years ago this Mexican liquor was illegal and was produced illegally in the villages of the region of Oaxaca. It was the owner of the Café No Sé, located in Antigua, Guatemala, John Rexer, to begin to import it in his cafè in 2004, moving it from various small producers, as he said in an interview, in the most “creative” ways. These spirits are a pleasant surprise thanks to their perfect balance of flavors, crossed by vegetal notes of the Espadin variety of agave and a slightly smoky aromatic accent, which is given by baking in stone ovens and distillation. Today the mezcal is legal and its craft production is certified by the non-profit Mezcal Regulatory Council (COMERCAM): Ilegal boasts the NOM certification 001X, the only one to hold the highest certification. The brand Ilegal leans to hand-picked by the fourth generation of Mezcalero resident in the Tlacolula Valley, in Oaxaca; the agave hearts are then cooked and the juice made from it undergoes a double distillation. The lots are produced in small quantities and are bottled in numbered bottles. Respect for the environment is all-encompassing for this Mexican reality, which excludes any use of artificial colors or flavors and is the guarantor of biodiversity and environmental protection in the region of Oaxaca.