Spirited News 01/2026: Mezcal Amarás
It has been a while since I sipped Mezcal neat. However, when Kirsch Whisky asked me to join the Amarás tasting, I did not hesitate. Afterall, I took part in a Mezcal Amores tasting over ten years ago in Munich. The brand now is called Amarás due to trademark reasons.
Changing labels
First, we started with the Amarás Verde with random labels designed by artists. Since 2016 88 different labels were created it chances labels every 12 months. This is a Mezcal from six to eight year old Espadín agaves. The Maestros Mezcaleros smoke the agaves in earthen ovens using three types of wood oak, Ocote as well as Pirul. Fermentation takes place in 1.200 l pine vats and distillation is done on double copper pot-stills.
The Verde starts with a lot of smoke accompanied by glue, paint thinner as well as rubber notes. If you are familiar with mezcal you know that those flavours are not at all bad! Underneath all of that lies some cooked agave and a hint of sweetness. The aftertaste is medium long to long with again smoke and some tannins.
The classic Espadín
Next, the Amarás Line serves as an introduction to finer Mezcals. For the ‘Espadín‘ the agaves grow eight to ten years and are smoked with oak as well as pine wood. After crushing with a traditional Tahona the production is the same as with the ‘Verde’.
The Espadín really has more balanced flavours. The smoke is noticeable, but well integrated besides some agave fruit and floral flavours. For a neat sip this is definitely more enjoyable. Yet, the ABV of only 37 % also makes the Mezcal less versatile in cocktails.
Barrel aged in special casks
The ‘Espadín’ was followed by the Amarás Reposado. The production is similar to the ‘Espadín’, but after distillation the Mezcal ages for three months in a combination of ex-bourbon casks as well as new hybrid barrels. Those barrels consist of American oak staves with French oak heads.
Actually, the Amarás Reposado was the first barrel aged Mezcal I tried. After a first hit of umami flavours, the smoke and a distinct vanilla note emerged. In the taste, the Reposado is quite grassy with additional smoke as well as vanilla flavours. You definitely also notice the spice of the new oak barrels.
A lot of green paprika
After the Reposado we tried the Cupreata distilled from 20 kg to 26 kg per litre of its namesake agave. Those agaves grow in Tuxtla in the state of Guerrero. In the end, the Mezcal is bottled at an ABV of 41 %.
The Cupreata started with cacao nibs, but soon developed into a combination of green flavours. The aroma and taste reminded me of green paprika, as well as pickled jalapenos. There was also quite a lot of menthol as well as hot chili flavours in the taste.
Limited Editions
Last but not least, we tried the Sierrudo Mezcal from the Reserva Especial range. Those limited editions are distilled from rare agaves. In this instance, Amarás uses 10 kg to 14 kg per litre of Americana agaves from the subspecies Sierrudo. After smoking with oak and pine wood the mashed agaves are also distilled on double copper pot-stills.
The Sierrudo was the most expressive of the Mezcals we tried. I got a complex aroma of agaves, smoke, glue, chalk and hints of rubber. In the taste a certain fruitiness developed. This was quickly accompanied by minerals, smoke and hot spices. All in all, I enjoyed the Sierrudo the best of all mezcals in the tasting.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. I received the Mezcal samples for free from Kirsch Whisky.
