Sombra Mezcal

Very subtle to the nose. It’s not as smokey as I expected it to be.

Limited experience with mezcal here, so take these notes with a grain of salt (and lime?). Sombra is an interesting spirit that, for me, just doesn't quite "click". Heavy on the smoke, but it's not a straight sort of smoke--it's partly mesquite, partly burnt rubber, some fuzzy Sharpie marker, some shoe-glue. If you can dig underneath, there are some added dimensions here: a fresh herbaciousness (mint, cilantro, basil) and some tropical fruits (pineapple leads, but there's some mango, some papaya?). Taste is sweet and hot, more mesquite and the smoke of burnt everything. Some citrus, something almost leathery. Pepper. Lime and prickly pear cactus on the finish, along with more smoke and a bit of raw woodiness. The heat persists here, from start to finish. Interesting, but it's a bit hot for sipping and so strong as to overwhelm other flavours in a cocktail. It's one of the less expensive mezcals (at least locally), so worth a shot, I think, even if only to see how you might feel about the range of flavours that constitute mezcal.

Complexion: clear and sticky with plenty of legs Nasal: margarita, fresh, slight lemon, mint, lemon grass Taste; oak with a little lemon and lime basil, leather and tannins