Reviews / El Rey Zapoteco Reposado
Review · · by The Editors
El Rey Zapoteco Reposado
Reposado at 40-45% – commercial aging added to a commercial-tier base that can't carry it
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: El Rey Zapoteco Mezcal
- Maestro: Efraín Hernández Escobar
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 40%
- Price: $55 ($)
Verdict
The wood ends up doing the work the agave should have done before the barrel got involved. A commercial-proof reposado where oak can't rescue a base that wasn't substantial to start with. Skip; the category's aged mezcals at this tier reliably fail, and El Rey Zapoteco's doesn't break the pattern.
Commercial reposado on a base that wasn't ready for the barrel
Tasting notes
Nose: Oak, vanilla, cooked agave, soft smoke
Palate: Medium at 40-45%. Commercial aging on a commercial base, the oak adds flavor without building structure, which is the specific failure mode of the aged-mezcal category at this price tier
Finish: Warm, oaky, with a slow vanilla fade
The bottom line
A skip