Del Maguey VIDA Mezcal

Light smoke, vanilla, mahogany smell. Starts smokey, ends with a floral after.

Smokey, burning rubber

Simple green wine bottle and a dead simple (nearly cartoonish) label that actually works pretty well - iconic and recognizable. An unusual black synthetic cork seems classy but is oddly rigid and ultimately quite annoying to squeeze back into the bottle. Neat. Glencairn. A beautiful “near clear". Some weight is evident with a swirl. Nice and leggy. Honey, jasmine, and Turkish cake soaked in simple syrup. Some nosings exude phenols, while the next beguilingly lack smoke entirely. Regardless, the sweet and floral backbone are consistent, along with a snap of crisp green bell pepper. An undercurrent of paint thinner follows: just one of those oddly appealing chemical smells you know you aren’t supposed to like but can’t help but to embrace and covertly enjoy. Not harsh in any way. The taste begins sweet and clean - then brisk vegetation, metallic notes, and finally back to rich simple syrup filling the mouth. Grapefruit. Smoke teases the periphery - sinuses, nasal cavity, and the back of the throat - filling in the edges without ever being the primary note. The classic (to me) mezcal profile of sweet, coppery, cooked carrots dances on the palate and lingers impressively with a lasting tangy bitter edge. This is a flagship mezcal qualified for sipping yet priced for mixing. No observable flaws, and showcases a quintessential profile: sweet, vegetal, and smoky, with a bracing metallic edge. This is my first bottle but I’d put it in a group of affordable espadin mezcals I’ve had that consistently deliver for the price, alongside Montelobos and Sombra. Highly recommended.

The Bottle: A nice green glass bottle with an excellent faux-cork. The label has a lot interesting and somewhat useful information about the provenance of the spirit. The artwork is a touch cartoony for my taste, however. It seems to be taking itself seriously as opposed to some craft beer labels you see out there that are of a similar style, but with an opposite intention. The good news to all of this is that it makes it easy to spot on the shelf when you are looking for it to make a purchase. In the Glass: Crystal clear and nicely viscous. On the Nose: Let's couch the following comments with the fact that this is the first Mezcal that I've ever sampled. So I'm not sure what elements of what I'm getting are specific to this expression or if they are common to the spirit type itself. So, rimmed glass of salt for the following... Vegetal, smoky, leather. This is what I imagine that it smells like to be riding a horse through a rainforest with someone smoking a pipe. It's a medicinal kind of smoke to my nose, the way that Laphroaig is in the single malt scotch world. The old leather notes really develop as it opens, it has a very "rare bookshop" kind of mojo. Taste: The initial flavor is light, but then develops a heavy vegetal punch akin to what is on the nose. This is not a dainty or subtle spirit, and I mean that in a good way. There is a pronounced sweetness on the finish that lingers for a bit and then dries to a nice bitterness. It's interesting and inviting and definitely not for everyone. I primarily use it in cocktails, but I can see myself enjoying this (or other Mezcal expressions) as the occasional sipper when I want something a bit different.

Nose: burnt rubber, hardware store (smells like Bunnings!), petrol, sweet agave underneath, pepper overrided by rubberiness, freshly cut wood, roast meat/vegetables, Palate: punchy. Pepper, followed by punchy hardware store, backed up by some fruity sweetness. Sweet, leathery and roast meaty lingering finish.

Tasty but not overwhelming smoke, citrusy and delicious

Solid product, soft, fruity, smokey agave with citrus and honey. Short finish.