The nose starts off with a quick fruity and floral mix before veering towards a chorizo sausage being grilled over a charcoal fire along with veggies of olive oil covered asparagus, shiitake mushrooms and fried yucca then a fruit salad of mangoes, papaya, kiwi, and green grapes with a light smoke and light ethanol burn. The taste is a medium yet airy mouthfeel that starts with a mild spice of that fresh grilled chorizo sausage that then fades to light veggies of black olives, salted asparagus, fried yucca and Portobello mushrooms that transitions to fruits of red grapefruit, salted mango, kiwi slices, and diced red apples with a moderate smoke and medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with dark chocolate, pineapple covered glazed ham, eucalyptus, dehydrated mango, kiwi, toasted marshmallow, and lightly charred olive bread that lingers for minutes. This is an incredible and complex mezcal that manages to perfectly balance bold flavors of ham, grilled veggies, fruits and smoke. I wasn’t sure about the ham flavor at first, but it really adds a nice layer on top of those vegetable and fruit notes that keeps me coming back for another sip. In a side by side with Arroqueno, the spicy ham flavors of the Iberico really jump out whereas the Arroqueno seems tamer with more fruits on the nose and on the taste the Iberico has bolder flavors than the Arroqueno but the Arroqueno lacks the spice that I could see someone disliking. For me, I could go either way depending on the day, but after several side by sides over multiple days, I tend to lean more towards the Iberico than the Arroqueno. If you’re feeling more of a fruit craving, I say go for the Arroqueno, but if you crave some spicy meat, then go for the Iberico. Either way, you can’t lose as they are both just legendary mezcals that I’d be happy to sip on any day.