Reviews / Paquera Barril
Review · · by The Editors
Paquera Barril
Barril – the karwinskii that doesn't get the press
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Paquera Mezcal
- Maestro: Francisco Javier Perez Cruz, Luis Enrique Juarez
- Region: Ejutla, San Agustín Amatengo, Oaxaca
- Agave: Barril
- ABV: 45%
- Price: $55 ($$)
Verdict
Barril is a karwinskii that tends to show up in ensambles more than as a single-agave bottling, which makes Paquera's version useful as a study piece. The 45% is noticeable – barril wants a little more air – but the bottle is legible and honest. Reach for it as a karwinskii-education addition rather than a first bottle.
Barril at 45% is the karwinskii tax paid twice – once for the species, once for the proof
Tasting notes
Nose: Green pepper, wet stone, saline, a mineral top
Palate: 45% of barril agave with karwinskii's saline-river rock register and a slightly earthier body than madrecuishe. The proof is where barril's expression starts; this is at the floor
Finish: Stone, dry
The bottom line
Worth reaching for in a karwinskii flight. Wish it were 48%+