Agua Magica and Aldo Sohm’s Mezcal Was Aged in Austrian Wine Barrels

One of the best new mezcal brands just released a unique new expression in collaboration with one of the country’s top sommeliers. Agua Magica partnered with Aldo Sohm, the wine director at New York City culinary institution Le Bernadin, on a mezcal that was aged in Austrian wine barrels—a very unusual maturation step that resulted in one of the best mezcal releases of the year.

Agua Magica was founded in 2021 by Rafael Shin and fifth-generation maestro mezcalero Rogelio Juan Hernández. The mezcal is produced in Oaxaca by Hernández along with his son Julio Juan, and the brand claims to abide by a few strict principles: wild yeast is used for fermentation instead of industrial yeast, no additives are used to enhance flavor or color, no sugar is added, and volume targets are ignored to allow true small batch production. Of course, Agua Magica isn’t the only mezcal brand that follows these guidelines, but the core expression is proof that this concept works—an ensamble mezcal made from seven and 15-year-old espadín and tobalá agaves in San Juan del Rio, with subtle smoke that doesn’t overpower the palate.

This new limited-release reposado was also produced by Hernández, but uses a different agave mix: 66.6 percent espadín and 33.4 percent tepeztate varietals. The agaves were cooked in a conical stone oven, milled using a tahona stone, fermented in pinewood vats for 10 days with wild yeast, and double distilled in copper pot stills. The maturation step is where the partnership with Sohm, which began in 2024, really takes off. The mezcal was aged for eight months in an underground cellar in Caucasian oak barrels, which is also known as Russian oak, which were previously used to mature Trockenbeerenauslese wine from Sohm’s wine brand, Sohm & Kracher (Trockenbeerenauslese is a sweet Austrian dessert wine that is also known as TBA, in this case a cuvée of Chardonnay and Welschriesling). Finally, the mezcal was rested in glass for an additional nine months to marry the flavors.

The result is a really delicious mezcal that brings together the spirit’s core agave, grass, citrus, and soft smoke notes with honey, berry, caramel, and baking spice flavors. This is a great mezcal to sip neat, and the brand recommends trying it in a rocks glass to reveal strong agave notes, while a cordial glass amplifies the flavors picked up during barrel aging. Agua Magica Reposado Edición Limitada is a very limited release with a run of just 750 bottles (SRP $250), so check your local specialty retailer or the brand’s website to find one now.