Casamigos Mezcal Joven

Rating: 14/23 N: It smells like mezcal for sure, though a bit lighter and less complex than Los Vecinos Espadin. It does smell good though. I get some sourdough bread with a bit of olive brine, rosemary, something slightly rotton, a faint hint of mineral. Yeah, it's mostly sourdough bread though. P: There's more going on on the palate than I'd expected from the nose. It's smoky with a clean gasoline flavor rather than tasting like a tire fire, but that brunt of that quickly passes, letting in a whiff of vanilla and some subtle banana that balance nicely with the slightly spicy herbal flavor that makes me think somewhat of rosemary. I do get some of that sourdough flavor in here as well, with a hint of rosemary and light olive brine, which is nice. There's some tanginess that makes me think of pineapple and I also get this dusty, earthy quality to the spiciness. There's this flavor like chicken breast that was seasoned with a fair amount of salt and just a bit of pepper, then was barbecued until it was a bit dry and charred. Not my favorite mezcal palate, but quite a nice one. F: Smoke with a clean gasoline flavor, a little bit of spiciness from the rosemary, along with some of that dry earthiness, and a little bit of tropical fruity sweetness. that occasionally reminds me of vanilla. There's a waft of sourdough starter as well. This is a solid, representative mezcal. It nails the core of the typical mezcal profile with smoke, gasoline, herbs, meat, and some sweetness with a little fruit, but it doesn't go too far with it. The clarity of the fresh sourdough flavor is really the stand-out here. I also appreciate that it embraces its (relative) lightness; much like Patrón, Ancient Age, and Glen Grant, this makes no attempt to pretend that it is stronger than it is, avoiding clashing flavors and establishing a refreshing profile that tastes intentional. This would be a good mezcal to introduce a beginner to the genre and it's one I'd be happy to sip. This is less strong and aggressive than Los Vecinos Espadin is. Los Vecinos has a bit more complexity, but although this initially seems a bit one-note, the spices opening up on the palate is terrific. This pleasantly reminds me of Cabeza Blanco (which is practically impossible to find for some reason), with its spices, boldness (for a tequila), and tropical fruits. It isn't really a normal comparison, but I prefer Cabeza between the two because of its nice complexity and how it pushes the envelope for its category. Fans of Cabeza who have not yet tried mezcal would find this an easy transition. For the money, it's an OK value, though I think I'd go for Los Vecinos Espadin instead, especially given that it is also cheaper. You won't go too far wrong with this though. I'm thinking a 12 to 14, but it could be a 15. Most likely, a 13 or 14. Right now, I'm leaning toward a 14. Los Vecinos is probably 1 to 2 points better than this. I gave Los Vecinos a high 15, so some sort of 14 does make a lot of sense for this. I'm a bit surprised by this outcome though because I expected Los Vecinos to end up closer to Del Maguey Chichicapa (17). I guess that's just rounding for you. I enjoy this well enough. Actually, I enjoy it pretty well. For the money though, I have other mezcals that I prefer to this.

Nose - liquid smoke, iodine, tennis ball, rubber, band aid, cooked agave, mint, coriander, dry grass, moderate ethanol burn. Taste - rubber, medicinal iodine, liquid smoke, tennis ball, spearmint, pepper, cooked agave, lemon, salt cured ham, sour apple, coriander, vanilla, simple syrup, caramel, dry grass, moderate alcohol bite, finishing long with rubber, smoke, and mint flavors. This is the first mezcal I’ve tried, so I’m not quite sure where to place this. I like smokiness in liquor, but feel it may be too overpowering here. It’s how I imagine a diluted Laphroaig would taste right off the still. Regardless, I found this to be a pleasant sipper, if a bit monotone. If there are any mezcal experts out there, recommend me a few good ones and I’ll add them to my shopping list.

I really wanted to like this mezcal, the bottle is beautiful alongside the casamigos tequila trio. But alas it is harsh and hard to drink on its own. Very medicinal, rubber, ash... much akin to mezcal and I'll admit I'm new to this spirit but I have had much smoother applications of the flavors (koch el). The harshness of this mezcal could be forgiven on an entry level Espadin, but at this price point I would prefer Sombra at half the price. I do give it a higher score for beauty, this bottle looks great on my shelf, it speaks to me and says MEZCAL!

Aroma has soft hints of floral notes and agave. The taste has hints citrus, banana, and sweet pepper. Smoke comes through subtly, but in an almost liquid smoke sort of way. Some very soft oak in the background. Very smooth, but could use some more complexity for drinking neat, but could make an interesting substitute for vodka in something like a martini. I like it, but I’m going to need so play around with it’s best uses.

This is my first Mezcal to try. I like it! It's definitely smokey in the nose and in the taste, I don't get a ton of burn at all, which was surprising. Other tasting notes outside of the smokiness are typical tequila notes, citrus, a little bit of saltiness. Overall, I liked it neat, and am excited to try it mixed in a margarita to see what it does!

My first mezcal, but it made a very strong first impression. All the wonderful smoke and peat of a Laphroaig Scotch. The vegetal agave flavors that I am used to in tequila come out in the end after the smoke. It works well neat, but I really love it in a Mezcal margarita or a Mezcal Last Word (Ultima Palabra).