Celebrate National Mezcal Day with Clase Azul Guerrero and Durango — Each Offer a Unique Experience
Two Distinctive Spirits, One Celebration
BY PC Studios // 10.06.23Clase Azul Durango is is where character, distinction and beauty meet.
This article is promoted/partner content and not produced by the editorial staff.
If there’s one thing Texans love, it’s our mezcal. Mezcal may be having its moment and popping up on craft cocktail menus all over the world, but Texans have long had a heart for the agave-derived spirit. And, if there’s one name in the business that knows mezcal like the back of its hand, it’s Clase Azul.
Mezcal lovers rejoice — National Mezcal Day is October 21. So let’s sit back and savor the beloved spirit and its treasured roots alongside Clase Azul Mexico.
Clase Azul was founded 26 years ago with one mission — to share the magic of Mexican culture with the world. Mexican culture, traditions, and land have propelled the brand forward over the decades as it distilled and shared some of the finest tequilas and mezcals across the globe. Nine Mexican regions are home to the country’s rich and ancestral tradition of mezcal.
You may be wondering what the difference is between tequila and mezcal. That’s a fair, and common, question. Unlike tequila, a distillate exclusively made from blue agave, mezcal can be made from a wide range of agave species. Each mezcal is a reflection of the soil and conditions that have nourished the agave and led to its growth.
With Clase Azul, you see this ancestral pride in every step of the journey, from the distilling of the agave to its iconic, hand-crafted decanters. While their tequila decanters tell stories through artisanal decorations and stunning patterns applied via brushstroke, mezcal decanters have caps decorated with precious artisanal techniques, long-standing traditions in Mexico.
The company is deeply committed to this craftsmanship and supports México’s artisanal community through Fundación Causa Azul, a non-profit organization dedicated to collaborating with artisan communities to improve their quality of life and preserving Mexican folk art as part of the country’s cultural heritage and legacy.
For those looking to celebrate National Mezcal Day, Clase Azul has two recommendations: Clase Azul Mezcal Guerrero and Clase Azul Mezcal Durango. Two distinctive spirits, one celebration.
Clase Azul Mezcal Guerrero
Clase Azul Mezcal Guerrero is deemed a “mystical beauty.” It reveals one of Mexico’s best-kept secrets: the wondrous state of Guerrero, a little-explored region that reveals another facet of Mexican culture. This member of the Clase Azul family was inspired by the singularity of Guerrero’s landscapes, gastronomy, art, and heritage, as well as the strength and leadership of the women from this region. Its majestic flavor comes from a very rare variety of agave: the papalote agave. The plant grows wild in the mountain ranges throughout Guerrero, where both the coastal climate and the freshness of green forests come through in its flavor profile.
Clase Azul Mezcal Guerrero is crystal clear with light straw-colored highlights and is full-bodied. It has an aroma full of grapefruit skin, fresh wood, rosemary, and peanut oil, with hints of butter and daisy flowers. Tastes include fresh wood, seaweed, lemon juice, pepper, and light notes of tobacco. The brand recommends pairing this mezcal with semi-fatty fish and shellfish (such as shrimp, snapper, mahi mahi, or scallops) that are cooked with butter, lemon, or prepared in ceviches, tapas paired with avocado and/or sour dressings (such as ranch and honey mustard), or white chocolate with tamarind jam or salted peanuts.
Of course, Clase Azul Mezcal Guerrero’s decanter is just as enchanting as the mezcal itself. The decanter is an artisanal piece that pays tribute to the ancestral wisdom, tender nature, and warrior spirit of the Mexican woman — all qualities that have made her the heart of Guerrero’s culture. The green color represents jade, a precious stone of extreme value to its ancestral cultures, as well as a symbol of eternity. The four-petaled flowers covering the decanter represent the Fifth Sun, a pre-Hispanic god known as the origin of everything. The colorful cap features the figure of a hummingbird, the fabled messenger of the Gods, reaffirming its mystical and celestial connection to this Mexican region.
Clase Azul Mezcal Durango
Perhaps you’re looking for a more medium-bodied mezcal to toast on the holiday. Clase Azul Mezcal Durango, labeled by the brand as “a distinctive nature,” is where character, distinction, and beauty meet. The mezcal is made from Cenizo Agave, an agave varietal that grows wild in the state of Durango in Northern Mexico. The combination of mineral-rich soil and water from natural springs gives it a distinctive and smoky character with complex flavor notes. The distillation process faithfully follows artisanal methods to create a unique profile and pays tribute to the ancient mezcal tradition.
Clase Azul Mezcal Durango has a bright crystalline color with silver sparkles and has an aroma featuring citrus and herbal, green olive, cooked agave, and cloves scents. Flavors include peanuts, brown sugar, honey, wood, chocolate, and notes of ripe fruit. The brand recommends pairing this mezcal with fatty fish and shellfish, as well as melba bread with avocado and aged cheeses (grana padano, parmesan, or pecorino romano), or ruby or white chocolate with salted nuts, mango or citrus jam.
Clase Azul Mezcal Durango’s dark and textured decanter is made of black clay. Its design is hand-carved by artisans from a small community of the Mazahua people. Artisans from the Wixárika culture are the creators of its unique and colorful cap.
Cheers to National Mezcal Day.