Hailstone, originally from North Berwick but now based in Edinburgh, said: “I studied chemistry at university, and other than an interest in making my own cider, I had no track record in the drinks industry.
“But I’ve always had a fascination with distilling, and because of that, I originally looked into opening my own distillery.
“To do so in the UK is very difficult, and you need a lot of capital, so instead I started thinking of ways to work with people who already knew what they were doing, in a world that I was already very interested in.
“That was mezcal.”
Pictured: Mezcal is made from agave plants, which can sometimes take 30 years to grow to full size(Image: Daniel Molina)
A distilled spirit made from cooked and fermented agave, mezcal can be produced from over 40 different varieties of the succulent plant, each resulting in its own distinct flavour profile.
Eager to establish a business that created a close connection between consumers in Scotland and producers using time-honoured distilling traditions in Mexico, Hailstone said: “We spent about four months travelling from the top to bottom of Oaxaca, meeting with all sorts of producers from large-scale operations with proper factories, right down to the family farm, which we eventually decided to partner with.
“Felipe and Ageo Cortés are 3rd and 4th generation mezcaleros who are masters of their craft and make a very tasty product.
“We rocked up in our van as strangers after hearing about them at another Palenque (distillery), and the whole family was so open and welcoming.
“Watching a father and son make their mezcal, we knew straight away that these were the kind of people that we wanted to be working with.
“Felipe and Ageo were keen to share their product beyond local markets in Oaxaca, so it seemed like a great match.”
Pictured: Scenes from the palenque (distillery) in Oaxaca, Mexico(Image: Daniel Molina)
This new partnership comes at what Hailstone feels is the perfect time, as Scottish drinkers slowly but surely develop an interest in a spirit which shares some interesting parallels with our own national drink.
“Mezcal is huge in America, but somewhere around 10 to 15 years ago, a lot of the top bars and restaurants in London started to pick up on it as well.
“Now, I think you’d be hard-pressed to find a bar in the city that doesn’t have a Mezcal selection, and Edinburgh is slowly catching up on that.
“People are starting to appreciate the painstaking process to make it, and what it means culturally for Mexico, quite like whisky in Scotland, with all of the different regions producing their own distinctive products.
“It’s no longer seen as a cheap shot to have with a slice of lime on a night out.”
The first batch of mezcal imported by Pelo der Perro is split between two categories: a Madrecuishe, which is earthy and herbal with notes of pine and an Espadin with a light smoke that gives way to ripe citrus fruits and pineapple.
A ringing endorsement for their efforts, earlier this month, the team received word that the Madrecuishe has received a five-star + rating from Difford’s Guide, with the reviewer hailing the spirit as an ‘outstanding artisanal mezcal’.
“There is such a huge range between all the different ways mezcals can taste,” Hailstone continued.
“Some will be smoky and others not at all. Some are sweet or a little bit sour or fruity.
“You wouldn’t even know that a few of the ones we tried in Oaxaca were made from agave, because they tasted of something completely different.
“The UK has barely scratched the surface in terms of all of the different types, styles and agave plants.
“Again, you could compare mezcal to whisky because of the maturation process, but I would argue that it perhaps has even more in common with wine.
“People will go after a specific grape with a distinct flavour profile in the same way that you have up to 40-odd species of Agave plant to choose from, each of which will result in a different end product.”
Pictured: George Hailstone with Felipe and Ageo Cortés(Image: Supplied)
With bottles from their first batch of mezcal now in stock online, and at speciality drinks retailers including Communique Wine in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge, Hailstone said: “It’s quite surreal to see it on shelves now, knowing that just a few months ago we were out in the fields in Oaxaca helping Felipe, Ageo and their family to see how it’s all done.
“The whole point of what we’re doing is to try and bring customers as close as possible to the producers and offer traceability with a breakdown of how and when each batch was made.
“It’s taken a long time and a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but we’ve finally got there and there are many more exciting things to come.”
For more information on Pelo der Perro, visit pelodelperro.co.uk.
