Reviews / Joyas Oaxaqueñas Reposado
Review · · by The Editors
Joyas Oaxaqueñas Reposado
Barrel wash over a bottom-shelf base
Score: 1.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Joyas Oaxaqueñas Mezcal
- Region: Tlacolula, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 37%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Joyas Oaxaqueñas Reposado layers a commercial barrel nap over a commercial base and expects the drinker not to notice. We notice. The combination of low ABV and applied wood makes the mezcal character harder to find rather than easier. Skip; go reposado tequila if that's the drinking mode, or go Amaras Reposado if you want agave-spirit-with-wood done right.
Barrel-aging a thin spirit just paints the problem
Tasting notes
Nose: Vanilla – then oak, thin agave
Palate: 37-42% – the same underpowered Tlacolula espadín as the joven, now with oak shavings on top. The wood program covers the distillate without improving it
Finish: Sweet, woody, short
The bottom line
Skip. Barrel doesn't fix low proof