Reviews / Erstwhile Espadin Limited Edition 2018
Review · · by The Editors
Erstwhile Espadin Limited Edition 2018
2018 limited-edition espadín – vintage Erstwhile at 44%, and a small category of date-stamped bottles
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Erstwhile Mezcal
- Maestro: Juan Hernández Méndez
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 44%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
Buy this only if you're pairing it with the 2021 – vintage-dated espadín from a single producer is a lesson you can't get any other way, and the proof differential between the two years is where the real education lives. Standalone it's a legitimate mid-tier espadín at 43.8%; alongside its sibling it becomes instructive. Consensus 3.8 matches, barely.
Vintage-dated espadín is a small but growing specialty category worth paying attention to
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave up front. Warm stone, faint smoke, dried citrus underneath
Palate: Medium-bodied at 44%. The 2018 vintage is noticeably leaner than the 2021 release; the lower proof shows, and side-by-side the difference is obvious
Finish: Drying, clean, with a slow smoke fade
The bottom line
Worth trying alongside the 2021 vintage for the comparative flight