Reviews / El Rey Zapoteco Anejo
Review · · by The Editors
El Rey Zapoteco Anejo
Añejo at 40-45% – extended aging that produces more oak rather than more depth
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: El Rey Zapoteco Mezcal
- Maestro: Efraín Hernández Escobar
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 40%
- Price: $59 ($)
Verdict
Reposado's failure mode at extended aging, the wood dominates the agave's already-thin base, and the extra time only deepens the imbalance. Skip; if you want aged mezcal at caliber, the Agave de Cortes extra añejo at a 43% base is the rare commercial-tier aged bottle that actually works. This isn't that bottle.
Commercial añejo is rarely the answer to a commercial reposado
Tasting notes
Nose: Oak with vanilla, cooked agave, a trace of dried fruit underneath
Palate: Medium at 40-45%. Extended aging on a commercial base gives you more oak, not more depth, the longer the barrel program runs on an underpowered espadín, the more the oak dominates
Finish: Warm, oaky, with the vanilla lingering past everything else. Stays long
The bottom line
A skip
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.