By Julien Willems
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Smouldering Mojo
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s ‘Heresy’ label lives up to its name with this first release of an Islay whisky matured in casks previously used for smoky, fruity mezcal. Julien Willems has more on this mesmerising marriage of Mexican and Scottish flavours with Batch 34: Smouldering Mojo
Smouldering Mojo is the Society's first mezcal cask-matured whisky
The last time we chatted about our small-batch ‘Heresy’ releases, it was to introduce Batch 33: Scrumptious. Then, I mentioned the 2019 change in Scotch Whisky regulations that opened the door for the industry to use new cask types for maturation. So, let’s go back to this today and talk about the most contentious casks in that list, as we discover Batch 34: Smouldering Mojo.
What could top Batch 33, matured in calvados-seasoned STR barriques? Mezcal casks of course! But also, why were these ever considered “contentious”? Well, there are a few reasons, including a full inventory of arguments traded back and forth in the age-old debate on the balance between tradition and innovation in Scotch whisky. Whether or not you were aware of that debate, and wherever you stood in the argument, we decided to experiment with these casks and enjoyed the flavours they imparted on the whisky we picked to mature in them. Revisiting that debate isn’t going to make Batch 34 any less delicious.
Some might attempt to dissuade you from enjoying this bottle, on the grounds that mezcal casks aren’t traditional in Scotch whisky. Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But when it’s about whisky, do not trust your eyes or your ears – it’s about your palate, not anyone else’s. And in that spirit, I would encourage you to build your own opinion not through hearsay, but through personal experience. As for these casks, they are here to stay, so let’s see what they have to offer.
For starters, when we first nosed this dram, we all braced for impact, like a summer storm was about to hit Islay, and you could do nothing but stand on the beach and watch dark grey-purple clouds amass, their weight about to hit the rocky shore in torrents of rain, thunder and crushing waves. The smokiness and herbal components of this first nose were simply huge. Thyme, rosemary and marjoram all vying for attention, vaporising as they are thrown on hot coals. There is a lot to unpack here, with Islay whisky in all its peated glory taking centre stage but showcasing something of an extreme herbal streak. Something else – something unusual – is going on.
The Islay whisky in this small-batch blend makes for a smoky delight
To understand what that might be, you have to understand what mezcal is and how it is made. The short of it: it’s a spirit distilled in Mexico from the fermentation of agave juices.
So how does mezcal differ from tequila? While tequila is known for its earthy flavours, mezcal is known for its intense smokiness. And there are clear differences in production leading to these distinct profiles. First the agave. While tequila is distilled solely from one type of agave in a certain region, at least 30 different species of the plant are used for mezcal across a variety of regions. Another big difference is how agave is processed. To convert starches in agave into sugars, the relevant part of the plant (piñas – or heart in this context) has to be cooked for a long time, and this is where the second difference becomes apparent: tequila is a more streamlined and controlled process, where the piñas are cooked in brick ovens or in more modern autoclaves (modern steam pressure cookers), whereas for traditional mezcal, the process is a lot more manual. A pit is dug and lined with stones, and a coal fire heats the stones to very high temperatures. The piñas are then added to the pit, covered with agave fibres and a tarp, and left to cook for days. This results in a smoky profile for the agave because of the temperature and smoke in the pit, reminiscent of how peat is burnt in kilns during malting to produce smoky and peated flavours in Scotch whisky.
The cooked agave is milled to obtain its sugary juices, which are then fermented and distilled. This is where another difference with the more industrial scale of tequila production becomes apparent. Traditional mezcal producers use a considerable variety of stills, which can vary in size, shape, material and everything in between. Traditionally though, the spirit is double distilled, like most Scotch whiskies. So at least on this side of things, we are in familiar territory.
The lion’s share of the whisky used to create Batch 34: Smouldering Mojo comes from a well-known and liked Islay distillery that can produce a very punchy peated whisky, which in this case has spent just over a couple of years in STR (shaved, toasted and re-charred) casks that had previously been seasoned with a smoky, fruity mezcal with herbal and vegetal notes. The result is robustly smoky with tarry impressions, molasses and treacle-cured ham and hickory smoked salmon and a mojo sauce (containing cumin, orange, lime, coriander mint, generally used with pork) giving this bottle its name.
This is not a dram for the faint of heart, but if you give it a go, you will be opulently rewarded if sticky-sweet, smoky and tarry are topping the list of your favourite flavours. It’s not always easy to take a leap of faith and try something new or something that you might not normally consider. But this is the way of the Society: challenge preconceptions (your own as much as anyone else’s) and the mundane, and new flavour epiphanies will follow. Keep an open mind: while these mezcal casks might have caused a stir, after tasting Smouldering Mojo, I’m certain you’ll agree they’re not just smoke and mirrors.