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El Jolgorio Jabali

El Jolgorio Jabali is an extremely rare and limited release. Consider yourself lucky if you have the opportunity to try this mezcal.

Rating: (31 reviews)
Cost:$$$$
Brand:El Jolgorio Mezcal
NOM:NOM-O98X
Mezcalero:Ignacio Parada
Maguey:Jabali
Agave:Convallis
Distillation:Copper
Style:Joven
State:Oaxaca
Town:Santa Maria Zoquitlan
ABV: 50%
Age of plant: 16-18 years
Release year: 2015
Website: https://backbarproject.com/portfolio/casa-cortes/, opens in new window

About this mezcal

El Jolgorio Jabali is made with 100% wild maguey Jabali that is harvested at 16-18 years of age. This mezcal is extremely rare and it’s very limited in it’s release. A 2013 release of this mezcal had only 54 bottles, and future releases are likely to be equally as small. The 2013 release was made in Santa Maria Zoquitlan by Ignacio Parada. The ABV of each lot may vary slightly, but they are all around 50% ABV. Newer releases of this mezcal come in a black bottle.

El Jolgorio Mezcal

El Jolgorio translates to “the revelry”. Jolgorios are small festivals that occur in remote, mountain villages throughout Oaxaca, Mexico. They celebrate births, deaths, weddings and Saint’s days. For centuries, the lifeblood of these celebrations has been traditional mezcal. In 2010, the Cortés family began building a collective of top mezcal distillers from around Oaxaca. As of 2019, El Jolgorio represents sixteen different families, working in ten different regions of Oaxaca, Mexico, each with its own special story. Every bottle is hand-marked with the specific details of each batch, to truly connect the drinker with the family behind the expression.

In 2017, the team behind the brand realized that certain varieties of agave would be extremely limited and they would only be able to make them available once per year (if at all). They began packaging these rare editions in black bottles to set them apart from the other releases.

The artwork on the first 8 releases was created by Alejandro Peña (Espadin, Pechuga, Tobala, Cuixe, Madrecuixe, Tepeztate, Barril and Mexicano). The next 5 labels were created by Asis Cortes (Arroqueno, Jabalin, Coyote, Tobaxiche, and Cenizo) and the Sierrudo artwork was created by Alberto Almánza.

Member rating

4.56 out of 5

31 reviews

Rakhal

Rakhal

430 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Lot 03. Black bottle. Ignacio Parada. WOW. This is my kind of Mezcal. 10/10. Maybe even 100/100. With every sip it grew more and more complex. This stuff is magic in a bottle. Flowers, so many flowers! Jalapeño, cinnamon, clove, apple pie, volcanic rock, cardamom, pecans. Desert island bottle for me.

Squashplayer

Squashplayer

36 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Edition 3/2018/275 bottles/ 50.3%ABV. Wow! This is good. Nose full of hot Serrano peppers. Spicy on the palate also. Bold and forward, this one keeps on coming. Vanilla rounds out the finish. One of my favorite expressions of Jabali

Chris

Chris

40 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

2016 black bottle edition 2 209 / 250 50.5%. This is delicious, but so is the RC Jabali, August 2016 1199/1236 49.2%, which I’m comparing. Very similar, great flavor, but the finish on the El Jolgorio is superior.

COak

COak

238 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Black bottle, edition 3, 2018. This edition is more subtle that edition #2 which I think is superior. I get green peppers, mint and vanilla. Very delicious.

GreenspointTexas

GreenspointTexas

385 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Rey Campero and El Jolgorio… those are the only two Jabali’s ive had that have blown me away. Very even keeled and rounded out… everything seems in balance, apple, smoke, and candy corn. Yummy

Rated 4 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Unfortunately I don’t have the specifics of the batch I’ve tried at a local restaurant. But this gave me the chills right away. Very fine Mezcal, love the apple tastes you get, the smoothness and length it has.
Probably the best version of a Jabali I’ve tried yet.

StevenR

StevenR

13 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Edition 3/ Harvest 2018/ 35-275 btls
When I first cracked this one I got BBQ Figs .. loads of charcoal and a sweet fig like aroma.. then the acetone blew off and led to a Madagascar vanilla mint hot toddy.. the texture is pure velvet .. damn good juice .. gotta break out some big guns prior to Mexico in a Bottle !

thamthong

thamthong

47 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars6 years ago

edition 2. 4.5 stars. ton going on here. not as mindful sipping this as i would’ve liked, as i was perhaps a little overly enthused about spotting this on the bar at the local mezcaleria. very delicious, but i will say there was a bitterness on the finish that i wouldn’t consider a virtue. glad to have tried it, especially after more or less giving up the search.

Tyler

Tyler

668 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars7 years ago

Incredible stuff! Vanilla and mint on the nose. Flavors bounce around from lavender to mint to butterscotch to honeydew. There is a full range of flavors here that finish with tobacco, oak, and cinnamon. The mezcal coats the inside of your mouth and gives it a slight tingling sensation like a mild Sichuan button. Edition 2 in the black glass bottle. 50.5% ABV. Bottle 61/250.

Jonny

Jonny

736 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars7 years ago

Edition 02. Harvested in 2016 and released in 2017. Bottle 85/250. Wow! This is absolutely incredible. I’ve never tasted a mezcal quite like this one. It’s viscous to the point of almost being sticky on the palate with a full and rich body. The nose has aromas of old books, spearmint, and fresh basil. Tasting notes are across the spectrum: butterscotch, green apples, green grapes, anise, and fresh cut mint. The finesse and body of this mezcal are otherworldly. This is truly a nectar of the gods!

Edition 02. Harvested in 2016 and released in 2017. Bottle 85/250. Wow! This is absolutely incredible. I’ve never tasted a mezcal quite like this one. It’s viscous to the point of almost being sticky on the palate with a full and rich body. The nose has aromas of old books, spearmint, and fresh basil. Tasting notes are across the spectrum: butterscotch, green apples, green grapes, anise, and fresh cut mint. The finesse and body of this mezcal are otherworldly. This is truly a nectar

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marco

marco

14 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars8 years ago

Down the rabbit hole!
With a scant 54 bottles produced in this batch, you might expect a degree of intensity but perhaps not this level of finesse. This rare jabali agave is richly extracted, lush and heady revving up at 100 proof. But for its entire vivid, immediate grip it flaunts also a structure of deft proportion; muscular and still finely balanced with a plush mouth-swirling viscosity. It is broodingly compact and concentrated yet quite smooth and with no hint of danger on the palate considering the weapons grade alcohol content. And there is just a delicate hint of the fire pit, dodging the obvious campfire perfumes apparent in many mezcals.
The bouquet is tight and closed with small hints of pear and dried herbs, straw, and then graphite, with an ominous backstage jiggle of seared fat.
On the palate, juicy celery rib gives way to an inherent salinity, and the white peppery piquancy of rocky hillside terroir. An oily bubble of sensual flavors, satisfying, mystical, and with a long simmering finish.

Down the rabbit hole!
With a scant 54 bottles produced in this batch, you might expect a degree of intensity but perhaps not this level of finesse. This rare jabali agave is richly extracted, lush and heady revving up at 100 proof. But for its entire vivid, immediate grip it flaunts also a structure of deft proportion; muscular and still finely balanced with a plush mouth-swirling viscosity. It is broodingly compact and concentrated yet quite smooth and with no hint of danger on the palate consi

Read more

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