March 4, 2020

Why are we launching a members club, and how does it work…?

This idea has been in the pipeline for a couple of years - some of you will have heard me talk about it already. I get pretty excited about the never-ending world of discovery that mezcal takes you into, and I love sharing it with other mezcal fans as well as making new ones. While I hugely enjoy running our pop-up bars, there’s never really enough time at them to get into the details as much as any of us want. That’s why I started the Mezcal Appreciation Society.

M.A.S began as a series of small group curated tasting events, specifically designed to address the issue of time in the bar environment. But, even at M.A.S. events, there’s a limit to how deep you can go in a couple of hours. So, M.A.S. is evolving and inviting you to become a member, to join us on a longer journey of discovery.

Everything The Sin Gusano project does is about developing education and furthering enjoyment of agave spirits. I believe this new club is an innovative way to open up some of the rarest and most exciting distillates to a wider audience, in an affordable and approachable way. Members can stick to the constantly evolving 150ml taster bottles (that’s 300ml to your door every 2 months) or choose to upgrade to the limited full-size bottles with a huge 25% discount, after having tried before they buy. I know it’s the club I’d be joining if I wasn’t running it! Members will also be the first to know about future tasting events, new bottling’s, etc.

As an example of the sort of things we’ll be doing: the first delivery contains two different distillates produced very close to each other in the central valleys of Oaxaca. They’re both made from the same plant (Tobaziche), but distilled in different styles. Comparing the two side by side will give us a better understanding of how the style of distillation effects flavour. Coming up in the months ahead we have different plants, different regions, varying alcohol levels, the same product from different seasons, abocados, pechugas, etc etc. You name it, we’ve been sourcing it… and we’re ready to send it all direct to your door.

Don’t just take my word for it… here’s what the industry says about M.A.S:

“Sin Gusano and The Mezcal Appreciation Society are sourcing the tiny and unrepeatable batches that real mezcal culture is all about”

- Thomas Bullock, The Mezcal Experience

“Jon is one of the most dedicated and enthusiastic people working in the agave industry. His constant searching for rare and delicious distillates means Sin Gusano has some of the most interesting and diverse bottlings found in Europe. When I see Jon, I’m always excited to try his unique mezcal”.

– Melanie Symonds, Quiquiriqui Mezcal & London Mezcal Week

“Sin Gusano is a very interesting project. They bring new and exciting products to the market, small batch and limited production are key words, and they always have a great focus on education and having fun at the same time”

– Jon Anders, Del Maguey Mezcal

"It's hard to overstate the tiny scale and unique character of the Sin Gusano project. In an industry where anything under 10,000 litres is considered small-batch, Jon is sourcing batches as small as 50 litres - each a completely unique distillate which will never be replicated."

– Benjamin Schroder, Pensador Mezcal

“Para mí es un honor que Jon de a conocer mi mezcal es su tierra”

“For me it is an honour that Sin Gusano (Jon) is introducing my mezcal to another land”

– Maestro Mezcalero Nicholas Garcia Gutierrez, San Luis Amatlán

"The project Sin Gusano is a great effort to unveil the deep and rich diversity of small & microbatch productions from all things agave. No one is doing that in Europe. Sin Gusano is a real eye opener to understand why mezcal (and other agave spirits) are such a world trend”

- Christian Schrader, Agavera Berlin

“The best way to experience Mexico is to go to Mexico — and, better still, to do that with Jon Darby. His ability to make quick connections with the people leads to a deeper experience …which often results in tasting great spirits. And if you can’t make the trip yourself, Jon’s spirits-by-mail business is the easy way to discover hard-to-find spirits. He’s travelled dirt roads and bounded countless topes to bring you the best Mexican spirits, and is working to help the communities that make those spirits. It’s like a road trip with a great friend that comes direct to your mailbox!

- Lou Bank, SACRED