Mexican whisky is a growing category that could potentially become as popular as tequila and mezcal in the next few years and also follow the growing interest in Mexican rum. The category is interesting for the fact that Mexican corn varietals can impart distinctive flavours and the production methods are rich in history and heritage.

A Mexican whisky brand that is leading the category is Sierra Norte. The Agaveist tried Sierra Norte black corn recently and here are the impressions.

Brand Story 

The Sierra Norte distillery was founded in 1996 by Douglas French in the Mexican village of San Augustin de la Juntas. French originally set up the distillery to create his own mezcal before being inspired by the ancestral corns sold in Oaxacan villages and wanting to create his own whisky.

In 2014, he started buying white, black and yellow Mexican corn until he had enough to make whisky and started experimenting. After 40 different recipes, French found what he was looking for and the first Sierra Norte whisky came out in 2016. 

The general production of Sierra Norte follows five steps of corn curation and each type being prepared into its own mash of 85% heirloom corn and 15% malted barley. After fermentation, the mash is first distilled in small batch stainless steel pot stills and the second distillation happens in 120-gallon copper pot stills. Each whisky is moved to an ageing cask for a minimum of two years and then bottled on the distillery site.

In the case of the black corn, the whisky is aged in French oak barrels and the bottling is single barrel and comes in at 45% ABV.

Presentation

The bottle comes with a warm looking dark brown, gold and black label that clearly states the whisky features no colouring or flavours added. Every barrel, bottle and batch number is labeled. In the case of my bottle, it was barrel number 1, bottle number 68 and batch number 5.

The copy on the back of the label gives an idea as to how much Mexican corn is venerated for its properties. It reads:

“The Sierra Norte Mountains of Oaxaca Mexico, with their profuse flora, abundant wildlife, and crystal, flowing waters, support some of the world’s most treasured biodiversity. More than any crop, corn embodies the life-giving relationship between these ancient mountains and their inhabitants. Descendants of the region’s first farmers continue replanting the best seeds from each harvest, as they and their ancestors have done for over 7000 years.”

The bottle also comes with a tag that lists how each of the Sierra Norte whiskies have been scored out of 100 by Whisky Advocate (the black scores an 88). Inside the tag, tasting notes for each whisky are featured from whisky journalist Johnny McCormick.

Tasting Notes

While using scores to rank how spirits taste can be an effective way of getting people to talk about them, drive awareness and read content (The Tequila Report does an excellent job of this for tequila ratings), The Agaveist believes that tasting notes remain the arena of written subjectivity.

With that in mind, on the nose the black corn smells of toasted rye bread and cinnamon. On the first sip, banana peel, milk chocolate and bubblegum are dominant. The sweetness is strong. Then it tapers off into more savoury notes of wood and mushroom. It’s a light, toasty drinking sensation. There’s no heaviness, the kind that can sometimes be felt in single malt Scotches, particularly the peaty Islay styles. 

The Sierra Norte black corn is a great introductory product to Mexican whisky for its taste and for keeping the category moving forward in a positive direction.