London Sake Sommelier discovers Sonora’s Secret Spirit, his palate said, “Muy Bueno!”
The decades-long ban on Bacanora production was finally lifted in 1992 but still this complex spirit remained almost completely unknown outside of Sonora, Mexico. That is until one fateful day in 2012 when Mel Abert Jr. wandered into small, dusty liquor store in the quaint seaside town of San Carlos. He spotted an unusual-looking bottle labeled “Pascola” high up on shelf. He’d never seen anything like it, so, intrigued, he brought it home and the rest, as they say, is history.
Love at First Sip
Mel Jr. had tasted spirits. Plenty of them. In fact, as a London-based sommelier specializing in sake, his job was to sample rare drinks from all over the world. But he’d never tasted anything like this. One sip from that bottle of Pascola Bacanora uncovered rich notes of pepper, mesquite smoke and sugar. Hints of vanilla and burnt caramel.An incredible flavor profile that captured the best of tequila and mezcal and then somehow surpassed them both. How had he never heard of Bacanora before? Mel asked around San Carlos and found out that Bacanora had an amazingly colorful history (see our history of Bacanora tab for more on that) and was virtually nonexistent anywhere else in the world. He knew right then what he had to do.
The Sonoran Secret is Out
Mel Abert Jr. knew he had to get the word out about Bacanora, so, in that moment of inspiration, Novel Spirits Collection was born. Novel Spirits is a specialty import company devoted to bringing this unique and rare spirit directly from the state Sonora to discerning agave aficionados like you around the globe. So, go ahead, and give Bacanora a try! But remember… once you take a sip, there’s no going back. Salud!