Review: Vamonos Riendo Mezcal
Vamonos Riendo Mezcal is a new “ensamble” style joven mezcal, made of a blend of 8 year old espadin and 14 year old tobala agaves. Triple-distilled at high altitude, the company behind it also says it supports the Oaxacan community with charitable giving programs.
Let’s give it a whirl.
The mezcal is nearly transparent, with a very light shade of yellow tinting it, which is a bit surprising considering it doesn’t claim any sort of barrel resting.
The nose is fairly quiet. A bit smoky but restrained, with some gentle citrus in the mix, it primarily hits the nose with aromas of wood smoke — a gentle oak campfire with some green limbs in it — plus a smattering of orange peel and juice. Then the palate comes along and switches the composition around: Here the fruit steps forward and the smoky elements take a back seat. Notes of tangerine and orange are immediate, as is a surprising punch of milk chocolate and vanilla, quickly sweetening things up. The smoky haze percolates all of this in lovely fashion, integrating beautifully with the fruit to give the super-sweet finish a surprising complexity — but also an easygoing drinkability.
Those looking for an intensely smoky experience won’t find it in this lighthanded mezcal, and that’s fine: The balance of the spirit is really impressive. I for one had trouble putting it down.
84 proof.
A / $60 / vamonosriendomezcal.com
Vamonos Riendo Mezcal
$60
