Wahaka Repo on Rye

Verdict

Repo on Rye is a limited-edition collaboration that flatters whiskey drinkers at mezcal's expense. Wahaka's joven espadín is a credible bar-well bottle; this version buries it under rye cask influence and pulls the proof down to 40%, which mezcal at this price point cannot afford. Skip it and buy the joven twice.

Tasting notes

Nose: Caramel with vanillin, a ghost of smoke underneath

Palate: The barrel dominates at 40%, leaving the espadín as a footnote. Sweet, rounded, more bourbon-adjacent cordial than mezcal

Finish: Short-medium, sugary-woody, a touch hollow

The bottom line

Pass. The barrel won the argument and the agave lost