Rating: 20/23 N: Fresh cherry mixed with vinegary mustard, some dry but fresh wood, and dry smoke. It's an interesting nose with an interesting balance going on. Somehow, it works out. The complexity isn't great here, but I'm intrigued. P: Tart dried cherry (which is also fairly sweet and has some decent depth) starts it out, leading into some mustard with a bit of vinegar to it. Then, the earthiness builds out of the mustard seed, providing a full but kind of dusty, musty backing. There's some really interesting swirling but faint herbal and vegetal components here. I'm having trouble placing them. Some spiciness comes out and there's a faint sweetness to it, suggesting cinnamon. I'm really enjoying this palate. The complexity is really there. Sure, it's a little off-kilter, but the balance still works out. F: Some dry tartness with a bit of a woody character comes out while some smoke remains. I get some faint vegetal cherry with some of that sweet river water. There's maybe some herbal flavor in here and it's still a solid finish, but the substantial reduction in complexity from the palate is a bit of let down. - Continued - This is tremendously complex and interesting with some really well executed flavors, yet it's never harsh or out of balance (despite its odd flavor profile). There's no off notes either. I would put this above the Chichicapa because of its better complexity. There's also a sense of refinement in the execution of this flavor that the Chicapa doesn't have. I'd also put it above Mezcalero #21. This is probably my new favorite mezcal. There's a lot happening here and there's a lot of subtlety, but it sure comes together nicely. This is interesting to contemplate and I'd be delighted to have a bottle. I can't see this being below an 18 and less than a 19 seems pretty unlikely too. A 21 seems likely as high as it could go though. I can vaguely imagine a 22, but not really. I expect to land on a 19 or 20. Upon further contemplation, I'm leaning toward a 20.