Reviews / IZO Joven

Review · · by The Editors

IZO Joven

A Durango cenizo that squanders its geography

Score: 1.5/5 agaves

IZO Joven bottle
  • Producer: IZO Spirits
  • Maestro: Jose de Jesus Gonzalez
  • Region: Durango
  • Agave: Cenizo
  • ABV: 47%
  • Price: $68 ($$)

Verdict

IZO Spirits's Durango cenizo is the kind of bottle that makes Durango's case harder. Cenizo from Durango should taste like hot hay and cracked pepper and mountain herb, think of the Amaras Logia cenizo for a reference – and this one tastes like a production spreadsheet. Skip and buy Durango from Mezcalosfera, Derrumbes, or Amaras Logia instead.

Cenizo made to a target, not from a place

Tasting notes

Nose: Plastic-y sweetness, mild smoke, faint herb

Palate: 47% – the proof is right, but the distillate reads industrial: a thin, slightly artificial body with none of the alpine-herb character that Durango cenizo is prized for

Finish: Off, warm. Short

The bottom line

Skip. Durango cenizo is better-served elsewhere

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 5 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.