Sonoma, Calif. (Sept. 27, 2016) – 3 Badge Beverage Corporation is expanding its artisan spirits portfolio with the introduction of Bozal, a line of mezcals that highlight agave’s varietals. Bozal, made from wild Mexican agave, will be sold in select U.S. markets by the company’s spirits division, 3 Badge Mixology.
Bozal, which means “wild” or “untamed” in Spanish, references the wild species of agave grown in hard-to-reach, uncultivated hillsides of Oaxaca and Guerrero. The Bozal mezcals are made in small batches using the traditional techniques of the mezcaleros to produce an unadulterated style of mezcal. The agave hearts are cooked in earthen pit ovens and later crushed and mashed by a stone Tahona wheel. Open-air fermentation, relying only on native yeasts, allows the sugars to ferment naturally before the Bozal mezcal is purified through a double distillation process.
“Bozal is artisan, handmade mezcal, and is made in very limited quantities in communities where mezcal is a tradition,” said August Sebastiani, president of 3 Badge Beverage Corporation. “Small villages come together for the production of these craft spirits, which are a unique reflection of the community and the distinctive wild agave that grows there.”
Bozal Espadin-Barril-Mexicano ($50) is a blend of three wild agaves grown in the villages of Ejutla de Crespo and San Baltazar in Oaxaca. A lighter mezcal, the Bozal Espadin-Barril-Mexicano has floral and citrus aromas and an earthy, herbaceous character. Bozal Cuixe ($80) comes from San Baltazar. Cuixe is a physically distinctive variety of wild agave, with a single, tall stalk, which offers aromas of tropical fruit and a dry, piney finish with notable minerality. Bozal Tobasiche ($80) also comes from the Oaxacan village of San Baltazar, where the Tobasiche wild agave typically needs 12 to 13 years to grow to maturity. The Bozal Tobasiche mezcal is characterized by herbaceous, cedar-like aromatics and an earthy finish. Bozal Ancestral ($100) is made from Papalote wild agave grown on the mountain slopes of the Río Mezcala basin in Chilapa, Guerrero. Made in extremely limited quantities using traditional clay pot distillation, the Bozal Ancestral shows notable sweet, floral aromas with an earthy minerality on the finish.
The distinctive, rustic ceramic Bozal bottles, with a different earth tone color for each variety, allude to the traditional terra cotta copitas sometimes used for drinking mezcal. The labels are printed on naturally flecked paper with an embossed logo, production specifications, perforated holes and the batch number stamp.
Bozal Mezcal is available from 3 Badge Mixology, the spirits division of 3 Badge Beverage Corporation. The company is located at 32 Patten Street, Sonoma, CA 95476. The telephone number is (707) 996-8463. Learn more at 3badge.com.
