Selva Negra creates mezcal-inspired spirit
Germany-based Selva Negra Spirits has created the ‘first’ agave-based spirit to be produced in the Black Forest.
Co-founded by Sebastian Dresel and Laurin Lehmann, and produced by distiller Florian Faude, Selva Negra is a handmade spirit that is produced using 100% Salmiana agave. The distillate has been created to ‘fill the gap’ between Tequila and mezcal, offering an elegant taste with a light smoke. The company imports the organic extract of the Salmiana agave, which is characterised by a delicately floral and sweet taste, into Germany from Mexico. The extract contains all the minerals and the complete character of the plant, while allowing the company to have a smaller carbon footprint within the production process. The extract is said to be ‘very expensive, very intense and very rare’. Faude creates the spirit using a wine yeast that allows the Salmiana extract to ferment into an agave wine. The wine is then distilled, and infused with the smoke of the local Black Forest spruce, before being distilled a second time. The agave spirit is then bottled at 46% ABV. The spirit offers aromas of essential oils and mint, with a distinctive hint of spruce on the palate, punctuated by light smoke. The company obtains all additional components in the production process from as close to Germany as possible, with bottles coming from Italy and the labels from Nürtingen, in southern Germany. The producer noted that while this costs a lot more, it allows it to ‘behave as responsibly as possible’. The agave spirit is recommended as a base for classic cocktails, such as a Paloma or Negroni. The name, Selva Negra, means 'black forest' in Spanish. The spirit is currently only available in Germany, and is distributed by Haromex. The company says it is currently working towards offering global shipment. It is offered at an RRP of €69.99 (US$76.34) and is available to purchase from www.selvanegraspirits.com. In our spirits trends to watch in 2023 feature, alternative agave spirits were predicted to be big this year.
