My American friend Rick travels to Europe once in a while. And when he does, he brings me a bottle of mezcal artesanal. And I send him back with beers or a Dutch whisky. And this one is awesome. Why? Several reasons:

• Check that bottle! It is an earthenware jar, in an awesome color. I plan to use it as a vase when I finish this bottle. 

• It is a single maguey (So one type of agave), in this case wild Tobasiche, which is a subspecies of the agave karwinskii. So, basically comparable with a single malt, single estate whisky. Fun.

• It was selected for me by a friend who lives on the other side of the ocean. That makes it very special.

This mezcal was bottled at 47% Vol. Is in the category Joven and I own bottle 00423 of Lot NOM-O472X. It comes from the Oaxaca region, to be specific from Río de Ejutla.

On the nose some sweet fruits drying in a cellar on a wooden floor. I  get some of the charcoal I used for my BBQ, not sure if that is the quebracho or the mesquite. A second sniff gives me lime with salt. Like a lemon soda after a swim in the ocean. Some light hints of wet slate.
The taste surprises me. It is a influx of sweet notes, like cactus figs, agave syrup and mint. Only at the end a smokey note pops up, that reminds me of roasted ham with warm honey, mixed with some red fruits.
The finish is medium long and leaves a warm sweet lingering note,  that reminds me of agave syrup with  some dried cherries. Insane.