If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Robb Report may receive an affiliate commission. In 2022, Mexican spirits company Casa Lumbre debuted a new cristalino mezcal called Contraluz . This was said to be the first cristalino in the mezcal category, a popular tequila style in which an aged spirit is filtered to remove the color before bottling.
The latest from Contraluz is called 11:11 Mezcal Reposado, but this expression is not a cristalino—it was aged for 11 months and 11 days in an unusual combination of casks that makes it stand out from the pack. Last year, Contraluz released the first version of this 11:11 expression in partnership with Columbian rapper and singer Maluma, who is also an investor in the brand. That release sold out quickly, so Casa Lumbre—the company behind brands like Montelobos Mezcal, Nocheluna Sotol , and Abasolo Mexican Whisky—decided to bring it back for another round.
This is a reposado mezcal, meaning it was aged between two months and a year, that spent just shy of that at 11 months and 11 days in a combination of American oak ex-bourbon barrels and sakura casks. The latter is a type of cherrywood from Japan that is used to age other spirits like whiskey , but this was another first for the mezcal category. “Taking inspiration from all around the world, we hope to continue to reach new spirits drinkers and introduce them to our beloved mezcal community,” said Moises Guidini, CEO and c.
