Mezcal Blanca

The sun arrives before the heat does.

Early morning in Oaxaca. Dew is still on the agave and the air is holding its edge. Then the first light comes up over the valley and sharpens everything at once, citrus ahead of the spice.

Oaxacan sea salt and palm leaf hold it coastal and faintly mineral, the salt read off the air rather than the water. Star anise and juniper sharpen the citrus down to rind. Peppercorn carries the spice and leaves the burn out of it.

Underneath, the resins take the sun, and what they give back is warm stone.

Kelly+Jones starts at the wine bar. The house began in a vineyard, where a winemaker scolded its founder for wearing fragrance while tasting, and the fragrance met the wine in the glass instead of fighting it. Kelly Jones has built the agave and supper-club releases around a particular hour, a particular room and a particular drink, and hands the composing to noses at Takasago and IFF.

Everything is hand-poured in the USA, made in compliance with IFRA, free of parabens and phthalates, and carries a detailed ingredient list on every product page and every carton. The Eau de Mezcal line is built as a tribute to agave spirits artisans and their land, and a portion of every sale in it goes to Programa Vaca, which helps rebuild in Mexico's remote rural areas using natural materials.