Cinco Sentidos Pechuga De Mole Poblano Delfino Tobon Mejia 95.8 Proof

Delfino Tobón Mejía takes the ceremonial pechuga tradition and runs it through the lens of Puebla's most iconic culinary export. Working from San Pablo Ameyaltepec in Puebla's Mixteca region, he starts with wild Papalote agave — the smaller, concentrated cousin of cultivated Espadín — harvested at full maturity and roasted underground. But the real departure happens before the third distillation. Delfino sources mole poblano paste from his local market, mixes it with mezcal to create a slurry, then suspends a raw free-range chicken from his family's yard inside a basket in his copper reflux still. He pours the prepared mole over the chicken and into the basket, letting some spill directly into the distilling liquid below. The result distills over the course of nearly a week, pulling vapor through layers of chocolate, chilhuacle negro, sesame, peanut, plantain, and all the baroque complexity of a proper mole poblano. This is 5 Sentidos, Jason Cox's producer-forward mezcal label that's been naming mezcaleros on bottles since before it was common practice. Launched out of his Oaxaca City restaurant El Destilado, the brand pays above market for batches, runs a 10 percent profit share back to producers, and prints their names front and center. Delfino is one of several master distillers on Off Premise's shelf whose work Cox champions — alongside Lalo Pérez Cortés, Tío Pedro Hernández, and Alberto Martinez. Expect roasted agave anchored by a savory, almost mole-adjacent richness — cocoa, toasted spice, subtle umami depth — rather than the floral or fruity notes you'd find in a standard Papalote. It's not sweet. It's not trying to be chocolate dessert mezcal. It's savory, layered, and completely singular. Serve it at the end of a meal where mole already made an appearance, or alongside charred octopus, duck carnitas, or anything with deep browning and chile backbone. This is what Lincoln Park drinkers reach for when they want mezcal that tells a specific story, not just smoke and agave.