Don Amado Reposado Mezcal

Not bad, smokey flavor on the backend

Smoke, leather, wood, caramel, earth, and light agave nose. Sweet, woody , earthy and smoky taste.

Smoky, earthy. On the palate leathery. Great!

Like tequila scotch, smooth smoky and spicy

A fantastic mezcal that’s a little easier on the smokiness. A subtle briny flavor. Better than the añejo.

Nose: Citrus (a warm sweet lime?) and very light smoke. Boiled broccoli, baked root vegetables, green olives and caramelized agave. A touch of aniseed. Palate: A soft, buttery arrival with a sweet caramel note - almost honeyish. The texture is oily and mouth-coating, and carries the smoky part of the profile well. Corn, plantain, smoked paprika, stone fruits and vanilla emerge as it develops. The smoky presence is light and has a moist-earth, mineral character. As it moves towards the finale, coconut and tropical fruit hints emerge along with some subtle spearmint. The agave presence is restrained in this mezcal, I presume masked or transformed by the barrel maturation. Finish: Medium/long. Curiously, its agave origin comes to life right at the end where there is a lingering fruity/green note that is enticingly sweet/salt - almost like salted caramel toffee. A friendly mezcal that is warming and gentle. Not as characterful or challenging as some of the top shelf spirits (it lacks that fresh "artisan" quality) but it's good and only just falls short of 4 stars - a touch more complexity and layering would push it over the line. "Good" : 84/100 (3.75 stars)