Rey Campero Tepeztate Mezcal

Mezcal comes out of Mexico, and this one is made from tepeztate, an agave that takes its time in the wild before it is ever harvested. Like all mezcal, the agave is roasted in an underground pit, which is where the smoke in the category comes from. This bottling is additive free, so what you taste is agave, roast and fermentation with nothing added to smooth the edges.

The nose is green and bright. Fresh sugarcane leads, sweet but not sugary, with citrus cutting through it. Underneath there is a soft banana note, the kind you find in ripe fruit rather than candy, and it sits against a wash of herbs and white pepper that keeps the whole thing lively.

At 80 proof (40% ABV) it drinks easily, sipped slowly from a copita. The 750 mL bottle is a good everyday pour.