Lobos 1707 Artesanal

Verdict

Lobos 1707 is the category's reminder that famous-owner mezcal rarely has to be good to sell, and rarely is. The liquid is technically mezcal, aesthetically coherent, and aggressively forgettable, it exists in the same spreadsheet as 400 Conejos but with better paper stock. Skip in favor of Vida, which is the most honestly-priced bar-well mezcal the category has, for half the price and twice the character.

Tasting notes

Nose: Sweet smoke up front. Vanilla, a thin cooked-agave note, faint isopropyl underneath

Palate: Polished, unobjectionable, aesthetically engineered for the celebrity-ownership shelf. The liquid says nothing the packaging hasn't already said louder; commercial-leaning at 42%

Finish: Sweet, quickly gone

The bottom line

A skip. Buy Del Maguey Vida and pocket the difference

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

• Total Wine
• BevMo