El Jolgorio Barril Mezcal

gasoline sharp flavor and moderate burn

It smells fruity and vegetal with some herbal notes and hints of spice. The palate is super minty though with a lot of spice and a clean dose of tobacco smoke. This definitely has the characteristic mezcal elements. There's a bit of hat, which is unusual for a mezcal. It's on the bitter and dry side for sure. The herbal elemenets and vegetal remain, with just some fruit (banana, mango, and pear) hanging out there for sweetness. The stewed agave is absolutely there, but it isn't terribly exciting. It's pretty harsh, but some cocoa does eventually show its face. If you want something that tastes like mezcal, you have it. It reminds me a bit of Del Maguey Chichicapa, but it has more chocolate than bourbon cinnamon and vanilla. The sweetness gradually emerges with the chocolate, making this more palatable, though at that point it still only has a couple of really stand-out notes and the rest is quite generic. As it goes on, more of toffee with chocolate and turmeric comes out. The flavor becomes a bit more spiced (the flavorful variety, not the hot variety) and kind of interestingly different. It's a solid mezcal that I could sip, but I don't love it. It has a lot of the alcohol there still and it's overly drying and filled with the usual mezcal notes. It ABV is definitely perceptible, so a weaker drink might have been a good idea.

Barril Nose: -gentle on the nose -light citrus notes -has a light smoke Taste: earthy, light minerality, medium body.