Rey Campero Espadin Mezcal
48.3% ABV
$50
Website
What the Distillery Says
NOTE: Content is in Spanish, below is using Google Translate; apologies for any errors!
The size of the maguey espadín is 1.5 m wide and 1 m high on average. It is the most used in Oaxaca for the production of mezcal. It is the maguey with the greatest geographic presence in Mexico, whose morphological plasticity led to the description of more than 20 species. The maturation time varies between 7 and 10 years.
What Gary Says
DISCLAIMER: I’m a whisk(e)y enthusiast, and not familiar with Mezcal (so read at your own risk!)
Nose: Roasted corn, vegetal, smokey botanicals and herbs, notes of cut hay, tropical fruitiness, olives, and lemongrass.
Palate: Roasted corn with dried ‘not ripe yet’ orange, kiwi and mango, bit of green tobacco.
Finish: Short to moderate in length, drying with smoke and tobacco.
Comments: This was the first of three samples in a Flaviar Mezcal tasting box (which I sampled/reviewed side by side), and my first studied tasting of Mezcal. As I’m most familiar with whisk(e)y, I naturally find similarities there – with this reminding me a bit of a white dog; young, corny, but smokey and less sweet. I preferred this after a bit of water was added, which thickened the mouthfeel and sweetened it up more. Given my inexperience in this category, I’m not comfortable assigning any different rating for these three. I enjoyed it, but couldn’t assess if it was a good, average, great example of the category – so will leave it as Stands Out. If anyone finds I’m short-changing any, that’s the reason why.