Reviews / Cómplice Añejo
Review · · by The Editors
Cómplice Añejo
Añejo espadín that buries what made it interesting
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Cómplice Mezcal
- Maestro: Ignacio Martinez
- Region: San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 43%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
Añejo mezcal is a hard trick to pull off and Cómplice doesn't quite. The oak swallows Martinez's work instead of framing it, and what emerges drinks like a mezcal-flavored whiskey for people who don't want to commit to either. Skip in favor of the Cómplice joven, same maestro, more honest.
Barrel aging as camouflage, not collaboration
Tasting notes
Nose: Vanilla, then caramel, toasted oak, a ghost of smoke
Palate: With Ignacio Martinez's San Dionisio espadín sanded down by the barrel, sweetness does the heavy lifting where agave used to; soft and round at 43%
Finish: Woody, clean. Medium
The bottom line
Don't pay the aging premium; the joven has more to say