Reserva de Don Chuy Autentico Reposado Mezcal

Nose: Pepper. Intense, eye-watering black pepper, with a hint of chili. A subtle background of light red wine. Palate: A rather soft and winey arrival that develops into simple pepper-infused water with alcohol. Finish: Short, with not much happening. Ethanol, some lingering winey notes, and the ever-present ground pepper. Recently, I began exploring mezcal, a spirit previously unknown to me. While most of my recent purchases have been premium expressions, I also acquired a few inexpensive mezcals for comparison and to establish a baseline. This Don Chuy clearly sets the lowest benchmark. Drinking this neat is only feasible in very small sips, ideally under duress so you can disclaim responsibility. I'd compare its quality to Grant's blended scotch or Beenleigh Rum – more useful as a weapon in a bar fight than for actual drinking. As a mixer, it becomes drinkable, and diluting it with orange or pineapple juice works wonders. I'm relieved it's bottled at 38% ABV; I cannot imagine its profile at a higher proof (the horror... the horror). The manufacturer has a NOM (Z106C), so it's presumably been inspected and won't cause blindness. Based on that, I'm awarding 1 star. I'll grudgingly add another half star because, once thoroughly diluted with ice and fruit juice, it's acceptable as a long cooler. It might work in cocktails, but I wouldn't choose it. "Inferior": 66/100 (1.5 stars)