Clearly a special occasion sort of spirit—kept under black wax-dipped cork—it can hardly be seen as a coincidence that it dropped just before the holiday season. And yes, it will make a great holiday dram for the agave-lovers in your gift-giving circle. But given the level of craftsmanship involved, the $175 asking price could actually be read as a bargain.
“We measure success at Ilegal not just by cases sold, but also by our partners and environmental initiatives we can enact,” said founder John Rexer.
The new bottles will be made by family-run business Fusion y Formas, which recycles 10,000 tons of glass annually at its facility in Jalisco, Mexico. “We share the same vision with Fusion y Formas to build sustainably and scale responsibly, while maintaining quality above all else,” Rexer added.
Ilegal Mezcal Joven has been awarded Double Platinum in the ASCoT Awards, blind-tasted and scored for appearance, aroma, taste, and finish.
Double Platinum: Outstanding, earns top marks from all judges. Highest award level
Tasting Notes: “I’ll be finding out what this one is after the awards are revealed; I can really get behind this joven!”
#1. Ilegal Mezcal Añejo
Looking to sample an aged mezcal? Go for this Ilegal Añejo. And if you’re curious about the brand’s name, there’s a good story. The founder of Ilegal, John Rexer, used to smuggle mezcal from Mexico to his Bar, Café No Sé, in Antigua. After realizing how good the stuff was, Rexer went legit with the foundation of Ilegal in 2006.
“The idea with Bar Ilegal is to bring a lifestyle to mezcal fans in the U.S.,” says Gilbert Marquez, Ilegal’s Global Brand Ambassador and a first-generation Mexican-American (and former bartender, punk rock musician and current part-time hatmaker). “We pop up at local venues in 13 U.S. cities and bring a taste of Ilegal through inventive cocktails, live music, on-site tattoo artists and more — it’s a way to experience the birthplace of Ilegal and create a memorable time for consumers with varying levels of mezcal knowledge.”
Which might be the smartest way to introduce a mezcal to the masses — associate it with good times. There’s a reason Ilegal touts itself as the “no. 1 most recognized mezcal,” as it’s probably one of only a handful of brands that casual drinkers could name.
Less visibly, Marquez and Ilegal also host several trade events for bartenders and other drinks professionals — having respected mixologists tout mezcal and use it creatively is certainly a tried and true way to bring recognition to a category.
Still, even with solid growth, the Ilegal team doesn’t have grand visions of mezcal becoming a dominating force in the drinks world — their production methods won’t allow it.
The Paste Studio on the Road goes international this week, streaming live from Café No Sé in the beautiful city of Antigua, Guatemala, thanks to our friends at Ilegal Mezcal. We’ll be at the legendary mezcal bar and intimate music venue in the heart of the historic district on Thursday, Dec. 16, with performances from Gaby Moreno, El David Aguilar, Silvana Estrada, Lau Noah and SUSU.
“Until 2020 I had never been one to care much about which, if any, liquor I have at home. But needless to say, this year is different, and a well-stocked liquor cabinet has become a big priority. As a devoted mezcal drinker, one of my number one go-to bottles to always keep around is Ilegal Mezcal Joven. Perfectly smooth and lightly smokey, this mezcal is excellent for drinking on-the-rocks but also makes for a great cocktail. A personal favorite is using it in place of tequila in a Margarita, both classic and frozen, or in this Mezcal Negroni.” — Elsa Säätelä, senior producer
The Bronx Brewery and Ilegal Mezcal announced a limited-release, mezcal margarita-inspired collab that brings the two NYC-based brands together to create a new kind of hard seltzer – Side Hustle Seltzerita, a 7% ABV hard seltzer bursts with grapefruit, lime and bravo hops, with bright mezcal flavor from aging with Ilegal oak staves.
The seltzer officially launches on May 7, with a joint event in The Bronx Brewery’s Backyard. Paying homage to both brands’ spiritual centers, the night will combine the unique experience from both The Backyard and Ilegal’s Café No Sé, in Guatemala. The musical lineup will feature DJ Mickey Perez, Jeremy Bosch Sextet and DJ Rich Kidd, along with special guests, food and drink activations and more.
“We have always been fans of Bronx Brewery at Ilegal, so we were immediately excited when they approached us about the collaboration,” said Kaylan Rexer, Chief Marketing Officer at Ilegal Mezcal. “There are so many crossovers in how both brands value music, art, and community. The can itself is a beautiful piece of artwork that represents the sharing of cultures. Plus, the product tastes delicious!”
“People are looking for quality products with authentic stories and transparency in brand values,” says Kaylan Rexer, the chief marketing officer at Ilegal Mezcal. “You don’t get a more hand-crafted, quality product than artisanal mezcal.”
As 2021 progresses, Rexer predicts a bright future for the mezcal category. “We see consumer interest in mezcal and in premium agave spirits continuing to grow in the coming years,” she says. “We are forecasting growth not just in our major markets but across the country. Mezcal will be a staple on every cocktail menu and off-premise retail shelf.”
Part of this will be integrating the spirit into classic, mezcal-friendly cocktails like the margarita and Paloma. To help propel the trend and encourage at-home engagement with the spirit, Ilegal recently introduced margarita kits for retail and e-commerce sales, and launched a direct-to-consumer website.
Brian Cox, Dewar’s VP of Marketing: “Ilegal Smooth is the first of its kind in terms of a mezcal finished blended Scotch whisky, and we wanted to use that moment to reflect the category’s progressive, new face while also inviting new whisky appreciators to discover this partnership.
It also showcased the commonalities between the founders of Ilegal Mezcal and Dewar’s Scotch whisky: having this passion for creating something new on an ambitious scale while delivering the very best ultra-premium smooth spirit. And Ilegal Mezcal is unique and special amongst Mezcals – a great product and wonderful brand too.”