Doña Perla [Was $110.00]

Doña Perla is an artisanal mezcal distilled from wild Tobasiche agave, a member of the Agave karwinskii family, harvested at ten to thirteen years of maturity in La Labor, La Compañía, Ejutla. Tobasiche is prized for its long, cylindrical piñas and the herbal, citrus-forward profile they deliver — this bottling is a textbook expression of that subspecies, made in a mezcal-producing district south of Oaxaca known for its karwinskii agaves and traditional pit-oven production. Master mezcalero Virgilio Casas works in the ejido of La Compañía, where elevation, rainfall, and volcanic soils encourage slow maturation in wild karwinskii varietals. He roasts the piñas in a stone pit oven fired with wood, crushes them with a Chilean mill — a tahona-style roller that extracts fibrous, viscous musts — and distills the fermented mash in a copper still to 47.5% ABV. Pit-roasting develops smoke and caramel complexity, while copper distillation adds brightness and structure that clay or wood stills would soften. The result is a mezcal with density and pronounced herbal character — not the rounded, fruity profile of espadín from the central valleys, but something more angular and vegetal. On the palate, Doña Perla leads with rich acidity and perceptible astringency, followed by herbal and citrus notes and a mentholated finish that lingers. The texture is dense, almost oily, and the 47.5% proof carries intensity without harshness. This is a mezcal for slow sipping — the kind of bottle that rewards attention and pairs well with ceviche, grilled fish, or citrus-forward desserts. The bitterness and herbal backbone also make it a compelling base for a mezcal Negroni or a highball with grapefruit and salt. In stock at Off Premise in Lincoln Park.