Reviews / Alipus San Juan
Review · · by The Editors
Alipus San Juan
Standard San Juan del Rio Alipus at 42% – the range's underwhelming entry, and a commercial compromise
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Alipus Mezcal
- Maestro: Joel Antonio Cruz, Rodolfo Juan Juarez
- Region: San Juan del Rio, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 42%
- Price: $56 ($$)
Verdict
A distribution-tier bottling at distribution-tier proof. San Juan del Rio can produce genuinely interesting ensambles – the XX Aniversario bottles from the same village prove it – but this standard Alipus at 42% is engineered for back-bar shelves, not serious category drinking. Skip the commercial San Juan; buy the anniversary.
Alipus San Juan at 42% is the range's commercial compromise
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave, faint smoke, a trace of cooked sugar
Palate: Thin at 42%. Alipus San Juan at 42% is the range's commercial compromise – the village can produce more interesting bottles (the anniversary versions prove it) but the standard release is bottled to hit a price-point rather than represent the village's capabilities
Finish: With a faint smoke fade – short
The bottom line
The anniversary versions are significantly better