Fidencio Clásico took Double Gold, 99 points, and a top-five-mezcal placing at the 2024 San Francisco World Spirits Competition — for a bottle that Fidencio itself tells you not to let the price fool you on. Fidencio Jiménez began making mezcal over a century ago after moving to Santiago Matatlán, the world capital of mezcal, and the palenque — Fábrica de Amigo del Mezcal — is now run by his great-grandson, fourth-generation maestro Enrique Jiménez, from estate-grown agave; the family also makes El Buho. Clásico is the house style: estate espadín roasted in an earthen pit, tahona-crushed, fermented with native yeast in pine vats, and double-distilled in a wood-fired copper alembic, bottled at still strength around 45% ABV; the brand launched in 2009. Mezcalistas calls it a benchmark of traditional Oaxacan mezcal that doesn’t seek to be flashy. Mezcal Reviews found vanilla, caramel, lemon, and peat, a smooth palate with a bit of heat and a thick mouthfeel, honey, brown sugar, and sweet bell pepper — and, for big-batch mezcal, very good, the quality intact across 9,000-bottle lots. Honest note: one reviewer preferred Nuestra Soledad or Alipús at the price for sipping, while friends raved about Fidencio’s Tepextate. For a mezcal Margarita, a Mezcal Negroni, an Oaxaca Old Fashioned, or neat, it’s four generations at a back-bar price. Santiago Matatlán, since before the name was on a bottle.
Buy Fidencio Clasico Mezcal online with fast shipping right to your door.
