It tastes a litte stronger and sharper than expected, considering it only has 40%. I’d say for the price point it’s ok, but nothing special. I wouldn’t prefer it as a sipper, especially because the texture is quite watery. There is a little fruitness/sweetness in there, but it’s very light.
One of my favorite bars makes all of their mezcal cocktails with Del Maguey Vida, and for good reason. You get a fair amount of smoke, but it’s on the more affordable side, and overall pretty decent.
More and more good mezcals seem to come from Durango. This cenizo has sweetness, I get some vanilla/caramel. Also herbal and fresh. It’s easy to sip. It has a rather low smokiness. It is very smooth, almost buttery.
I had this during a mezcal tasting tour in Oaxaca and loved it. Smoky and sweet, complex profile, one of my favorite espadins in that price range!
Very good sipper. I taste vanilla, pepper, lots of green vegetals. Very straight forward espadin, well balanced! Wouldn’t be opposed using this as a sipper regularly. Could be a little bit more complex, 4 stars.
Talk about a major disappointment, this felt like getting my wallet stolen and replaced with a jug of motor oil.
Really solid bottle for cocktails. Might not be the best one to sit down and enjoy on its own.
A little bit on the inexpensive side, this mezcal might be a better choice for mixologist cocktails rather than a sipper.
This one’s meant to be a mixer. As a sipper, I wouldn’t really recommed it. It’s a little harsh on the nose and very smoky. If you’re starting off your mezcal journey, this is an ok starting point. In cocktails, it does shine though!
One of my āĀ if not THE āĀ favorite espadins out there. It’s perfectly balanced, you get all kinds of fruit notes, complex, clay, just the right like smoke, great finish, fragrant. Yes, it has its price, but if you want to try what espadin can really taste like, it’s worth to pay it.
Maybe a bit better as a cocktail mezcal…but it’ll do as a sipper when you’re in a pinch.
This espadin has got some citrusy vibes and a bit of smoke. Especially for a rather big production mezcal and the low price point, I didn’t find it too bad. It’s quite strong on the nose, so you don’t get many subtle notes.
This is one of the first mezcals that convinced me that mezcal is not just “smoky tequila”. It has all the usual notes of a decent espadin, without too much smoke to cover the flavors.
I get lots of fruit and vegetal here, nice spice finish. Good amount of smoke, not too much so it doesn’t overpower the more subtle flavors. You can taste the clay quite a lot, but in a good way. I didn’t have a lot of coyotes before, but that one is a good start!
El Jolgorio’s products are some of the best I’ve tried, and this espadin is no different. Quite smooth for 47%, with notes of baked agave and citrus, and a bit of pepper. Not so much smoke so the real flavors can really shine.
This mezcal gets a lot of bad rep from the mezcal community. It’s not the best mezcal out there, but what do you expect from a celebrity product? It’s ok, quite smoky, of course not comparable to a Jolgorio, Real Minero, etc. I’ve had many better mezcals, but I’ve also
had worse tbh.
This is a solid mezcal for its price point. This was my go-to when I first got into mezcal, but I mainly use it in cocktails these days – it has all the notes of smoke and agave you want in a mezcal cocktail, but I’d rather sip on something better
It’s a cocktail mezcal, I would not necessarily recommend it for sipping. But on that price level (found it under $20), that’s what you expect. When you look at it from that perspective, it is not a bad choice. We made palomas with it and also mezcalitas, the smoke comes through, which I liked.
Honestly, like the other one I tried from this brand, it fell flat. Disappointing
I might get some hate for this, but I gotta be honest – I didn’t enjoy it that much. Just not my thing
Mezcal Ilegal is a brand that started as a smuggling operation to get the good stuff into the founder's bar in Antigua, Guatemala. Since launching in 2005, it has grown significantly, thanks in part to a cheeky US election marketing campaign in 2016. Bacardi also saw potential and bought a slice of the company in 2017. What sets Mezcal Ilegal apart from other brands is their unique use of mesquite and eucalyptus wood to roast their Agave Espadin, which is then fermented in oak vats and double distilled in small copper stills. Although Eric Hernandez was originally involved in the distillation, it is now solely handled by Alvaro and Armando Hernandez.