Occasionally,
while I’m traveling and hit up local liquor stores, I encounter something I’ve
never heard of. When the price is right, my #DrinkCurious philosophy gets the
better part of me, and I just buy it.
Today,
I’m sipping on Prohibited
Ley Seca De La Enmienda XVIII Mexican Whisky.
Translated to English, it means Prohibition of the 18th Amendment,
which refers to the Constitution of the United States. I’m completely unsure if
this refers to the start or end of Prohibition.
Aside
from it being produced for Cervecera
Mexicana SA de CV, there’s not a whole lot of information
about this Mexican Whisky. It is a Mexican Single Malt, packaged at 40% ABV (80°),
and it was on the store shelf in Denver for $24.99. About all I could find for Cervecera
Mexicana SA de CV is that it is also responsible for Day of the Dead and Mexicali beers.
Mexican
Single Malt is a newish category, first appearing in 2013. It can consist of
pretty much any single type of grain. Usually, it is corn, but rye, wheat, or
barley can be used as well. The whisky must come from a single distillery using
its own mash and casks for aging. There is no restriction on the source or size
of the cooperage – it can be new or used and come from any country. All of this
allows the distiller plenty of room for innovation.
In
the case of Prohibited Ley Seca, it is distilled from 100% malted barley from Mexico’s
Bajío region.
While
I’ve had Mexican whisky before, I’ve not tried one made from malted barley, so
this will be a completely new adventure.
- Whiskey Type: Mexican Single Malt
- Distiller: Cerveca Mexicana SA
- Age: 3 years
- Mashbill: 100% malted barley
- Cooperage: Lightly toasted ex-Bourbon barrels
- Alcohol Content: 40% ABV (80°)
- Price per 750mL: $23.99
Appearance: I used
a Glencairn glass to explore this single malt neat. For whatever reason, the
yellow-gold color seemed appropriate. A medium rim formed compact, incredibly
slow tears.
Nose: After
waiting for about 15 minutes, I was ready to approach the whisky and began my
sniffing journey. I smelled toasted wood, roasted almonds, hazelnuts, and fried
plantains. Drawing the air through my lips revealed a taste of vanilla.
Palate: With
the first sip, I encountered a soft mouthfeel and a palate shock of
dark-roasted coffee, bordering on espresso. With the second, the texture turned
creamy, and I found hazelnuts, walnuts, and cocoa on the front of my palate. There
were notes of vanilla, dark chocolate, and aged leather midway through, with
lightly toasted oak, dark-roasted coffee, and a bit of smoke on the back.
Finish: Smoke, dark-roasted
coffee, leather, cocoa, and hazelnuts remained. They all seemed to complement
one another – dry, slightly bitter, and easily identifiable. It was quite
even-keeled. Initially, I thought coffee was the last to leave, but black
pepper made a special appearance out of nowhere, leaving almost as fast as it materialized.
At 1:18, it isn’t the longest finish, but it stuck around long enough to be
memorable.
Bottle, Bar, or Bust: I’m not
a coffee drinker, so that palate shock commanded my attention. The hazelnuts
and walnuts competed for attention, and I found the smoky component pleasing.
At 40% ABV (80°), it punched above its weight – not with alcohol burn; rather,
with potency.
I don’t talk much about
packaging because I’m more interested in what’s inside the bottle. Yet, this is
a decanter I can see myself displaying on a shelf in my whiskey library – it is
simple yet unusual.
Look, for $24.00, I didn’t
expect much from Prohibited Ley Seca.
However, the return on my investment was huge. It was flavorful, carried its
own weight (and more), and was different from many other single malts I have
tried over the years, regardless of origin. I’m happy to have it in my whiskey
library, and am happy to crown it with my Bottle rating. Cheers!
My Simple, Easy-to-Understand
Rating System
- Bottle = Buy It
- Bar = Try It
- Bust = Leave It
Whiskeyfellow encourages you to enjoy your whiskey as you see fit,
but begs you to do so responsibly.
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