Bottled in 2017 I don’t drink. I sip. And this is dangerously sippable stuff. The espadin agave has a presence, but gets support from barrel aging for 16 months in French and American oak. The oak influence smooths out some wrinkles by adding a nice honey and caramel coating, and turns up the volume with a black peppercorn kick. The heart note is still cooked agave, but it’s rather bland; shredded and seasoned green papaya and green pepper. The base note is an unripe wintermelon that you hit your younger brother for opening, except I don’t have a brother. Very sippable… The problem with this bottling is that it is being advertised as both “mezcal artesanal" and anejo (aged for at least one year in wood). This is the only anejo mezcal I have tried. I have come to understand that the most beautiful mezcals are joven (bottled directly from the still). Unlike whisky, all the complexity one could want, and all the love and craftsmanship a mezcal needs, can be stopped after distillation. An artisanal mezcal is a colorless one. Barrel aging is for either adding appeal for the gringoes or hiding flaws in the spirit. When I have this mezcal with some of my other mezcals, which are joven, I prefer the more traditional mezcals. When I have this with some Scotch, I tend to prefer the more mature and complementary barrel influence in a good Scotch. But, when I have this all by itself, it is a decent hybrid of the two that is very sippable. Score: 0 (forgettable) How much does a bottle cost: $85-110 How much do I think a bottle is worth?: $70