Recommendation on reasonably-priced Mezcal

[ncyankee]

Looking to try a decent Mezcal, only have Monte Alban here.

If anyone has opinions on any in the range of ~$40 or less, from the following list

Hi-Time Wine Cellars

Also another site has Fidencio for $34.

Thanks.

[MrAgave]

Sombra, MET'L, and Fidencio are worthy. Fidencio has the regular and the clasico, so if you want to try Mezcal without the smoke go with the regular.

[ncyankee]

Thanks - so those are all better choices than Dle Maguey vida?

[MrAgave]

Originally Posted by ncyankee

Thanks - so those are all better choices than Dle Maguey vida?

That would be a good choice too. I thought DM Vida was a lower proof version of the San Luis or Santo Domingo. If you increase your price range, try the Chichicapa.

[totallytequila]

Originally Posted by ncyankee

Looking to try a decent Mezcal, only have Monte Alban here.

If anyone has opinions on any in the range of ~$40 or less, from the following list

Hi-Time Wine Cellars

Also another site has Fidencio for $34.

Thanks.

If you want to taste the "real deal' and you can save up a little extra cash, try investing in a bottle of Del Maguey Single Village Chichicapa. I promise that you won't be disappointed! In fact, from that point on you will likely measure the quality of all future mezcals against it! Just my .02 cents.

[ncyankee]

Thanks but I am not planning to drop $70 on a bottle of Mezcal until I am sure I actually like it. I have only once spent more than $60 on a bottle of Scotch, and that was a wedding present - though I have been continually tempted by Highland Park 18 yr old at $80-90.

I saw a couple people (in an older thread) rave about Embajador, which is on the list at hitimewine for only $19. Is that still a legitimate brand?

I would probably prefer the smokey Fidencio, I love Islay Scotch (my faves are Laphroaig, Ardbeg and lagavulin) and the main reason I want to try Mezcal is because I have generally heard it described in similar terms. In any event it appears the Fidencio on the other site is the Clasico since it is listed at 40%.

[MrAgave]

Here are all 3 Fidencio products, the one you want is the Clasico Joven. It is a clear bottle, and the above ground cooked original Fidencio is in a frosted bottle.

Fidencio Mezcal Brand Products at Tequila.net

[ncyankee]

Ok I think I managed to confuse both of us, the pic on the site is of the frosted bottle with 40% alcohol which according to the Fidencio site is the Sin Humo, I have no idea why I said Clasico in my last post. So the one I can get is not the one I want, ah well.

One of the guys who liked Embajador back in 2007 also liked Don Amado Anejo, which is also available at hitimewine - $30 for the Plat, $34 repo and $43 anejo. I don't see any of these listed on the database here. Anyone know anything about this brand?

I was also a little confused because he said the Embajador was very pricey, whereas now it is $19 a bottle - on the other hand I have seen El Charro tequila for $40 online from Minnesota while I paid $14 for it in SC, so I know there can be a lot of price variation in new products.

[SeattleJuan]

From the list at HiTime I am going to suggest you order the Semillero Joven. Not many here review the mezcals, including myself, but of the 40+ I have at home now this is an excellent value and a great way to break into the world of mezcal.

Clear and bright on the nose with just the right amount of smoke this is really a hidden gem and priced nicely @ 30 bucks. The nice thing about the lineup is that the reposado and the anejo ADD to the experience rather then take away from it. Not much of the roasted smoky flavor is lost by aging in the barrels.

Fidencio Joven is really kind of safe and bland to my taste and is a nice mezcal but really a couple of tiers down the quality chain, while I would put the Semillero in the middle. I have not tried the the Clasico Fidencio. The new Fidencio Pechuga is a different mezcal entirely though and at $75 dollars a lot more accessable price-wise than the Del Maguey at almost $200.

The top mezcals for me at the moment regardless of price are the whole Pierde Almas lineup which can be found at DrinkupNY or AstorWine, Alipus which is available only in Mexico at this time and comes in as many varieties as the PA, San Juan del Rio which a few places in CA carry though none of them ship anymore or ever did (K&L Wines) and the whole Los Nahuales/Danzantes lineup.

If you are interested in a few samples message me here and we can chat offline about that as well.

[ncyankee]

Thanks Juan Semillero sounds like a winner.