Review: Paquera Mezcal Espadin (2019)
Paquera is a new brand of mezcal that spans three different varieties, three blends that are variously composed of 100% Espadin agave, 80% Espadin/20% Barril, and 100% Barril agave. Each is blended to offer a different level of smoke as well as a unique sense of the terroir of the agave used
Today we look at the Paquera Espadin offering — the most approachable and least expensive of the trio. Paquera Espadin is made with cultivated Espadin agave in Ejutla, Oaxaca. The agave is cooked in an underground pit oven, mashed by horse-drawn tahona, fermented in oak vats, and double distilled in a copper still.
Though bottled at 45% abv, it’s quite an approachable mezcal, smoky with smoldering mesquite notes on the nose, with notes of fresh apple and cherry wood underneath. The palate lights up brightly with sweet, smoked barbecue notes, and sees a ton of mixed fruit swirled in — blackberry syrup and more apple — or perhaps applesauce. The finish is quite creamy and smoldering, mixing sweet and smoke in equal proportion. While it doesn’t entirely raise the bar of expectations, it’s a delightful sipper that’s wholly worthwhile at this price point.
Update: Paquera says they no longer work with the producer that created this expression. New packaging as of 2022 pictured at right. We have not tasted it.
90 proof.
B+ / $40
Paquera Mezcal Espadin (2019)
$40
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