Mezcales de Leyenda Durango

Rating: 15/23 N: There's a lot going on here. I get jarred mustard with a big vinegar presence, smoky rubber like Ardbeg sweet stawberries/cherries, dusty earth playing off of the mustard, and some minty herbal flavor. It's a challenging nose with a lot of fighting going on, but I like it. That vinegary mustard is really strong here. I don't recall another nose like it, actually. I like some good dijon mustard though, so I'm enjoying this. P: This is initially milder than I'd expected. It hits me with some of that vinegary mustard flavor, but it's been watered down and sweetened a bit. Then the core flavor comes in and dominates: woody fertilizer. It isn't a loamy forest floor akin to that outhouse flavor that is fairly common in cabernet sauvignon; this is more like walking into the plant section at home depot. There's a bit of a sweet water flavor mixed with a little vegetal note, kind of adding a sense of humidity to the palate. It's very interesting.I get some spices out of the wood and some herbal notes at points too, playing nicely with the vegetal ones. The balance is nice and so is the back-and-forth, but I can't say I'm loving the profile or that there is a ton of complexity going on here. It's very solid, but not amazing. F: The woody fertilizer remains mostly alone for a long time until the vegetal humidity comes in to counter it a bit. - Conclusion - This is far from bad. In fact, there's a lot to like here. It's a challenging dram to be sure, but it's worth trying, especially if you enjoy trips to the plant or lumber sections of the hardware store. I personally get a nostalgic feeling from that character, but it doesn't make me really want to get a full bottle of this. I find this to be very different from Los Vecinos Espadin, but solid competition for it. I think that Del Maguey Chichicapa outclasses this a bit though. I'm looking in the 15 to 16 range for this. I briefly toyed with giving it a 17, but I also considered a 14 for a short while. Ultimately, I gave Los Vecinos Espadin a 15 and I don't think that this is quite as good, so it's getting a 15. I appreciate the complexity here, but the profile just doesn't quite come together for me in a way that balances. It's interesting, but I'm not sure I'd want to own a bottle.

Opened this up last night with some friends over. While in Mexico City, I attended a class on making mole negro, so I tried it out last night and paired the mole with this Mezcal. It lacks the earthen smoke of your typical Mezcal, but instead makes it up with a unique floral minerality---almost as if you rubbed lavender and chamomile on clay. Quite unique. It especially paired well with a spicy mole sauce. For $50, really a must have for Mezcal enthusiasts.

47% ABV Floral nose, with a hint of leather, clay after a rain, and a very slight acetone-like note that seems common to A. durangensis. Butter and stone fruit (think nectarines, plums, cherries) on the palate with earthy undertones. Chilis and leather on the finish. A good mezcal, pairs really well with roasted chicken.

47 abv, online cinco de Mayo drammers pour. Nose: Cooked Agave, Mint, Buttery Cookies, Citrus, Cherries, Flowers, Papaya, Pineapple, Green Pepper, Toffee, Honey, Passion Fruit Palate: Cooked Agave, Smoke, Mint, Pineapple, Banana, Anise, Vanilla, Bacon Finish: Cooked Agave, Smoke, Vanilla, Banana, Coconut, Mint

The nose is delicious - rich and warming. The palate is hot pepper and fruit. The finish is all peppery heat. No smokiness but definitely hot and spicy!

Nose: salty smoke, sweet roasted fruit Taste: unique, sweet honey barbecue//mesquite good smoke Overall: great for sipping over ice