The second totally random sample from DSA’s array of niceness. That this was a Mezcal was something that was rather clear from the beginning, although the oak aging bit masked the normally stand out scents quite a bit.

I know absolutely nothing about Benevá Mezcal, apart from what I just glanced on some websites. It apparently is mostly available in Mexico and there it doesn’t cost too much, little under € 20 if I’m not mistaken.

The Añejo bit means that it has been in oak for at least a year, and according to what I saw on their website they keep it aging for some four years. The bottle does come with a worm, which is not something I’ve actually seen all that often.

Sniff:
On the nose there’s oily agave, quite ‘green’ and a bit herbaceous. Quite clean and the oak influence doesn’t overpower the scents, but does make itself known. Some straw, dried grass and slightly earthy.

Sip:
It’s a tiny bit spicy but very smooth. Some agave, and again that oiliness I also found on the nose.

Swallow:
The finish is slightly more deep. Agave, oily but also some smoke and a rather long lasting flavor.

My tasting notes are rather short, but that’s not out of brevity. I just couldn’t find that many flavors. Mezcal is not a very strong spirit when it goes into the barrel, so the extraction from the oak is not as intense as, for example, with bourbon. Therefore the flavors are very timid too. They are, however, strong enough to mask quite a bit of the mezcal and agave flavors that you’d normally get from an unaged Mezcal.

So, while far from a bad drink, it’s also not very special. I wouldn’t have minded to spend a couple of bucks on this, but if I’d spent a ‘Dutch’ amount on it (what you pay for this stuff here) I’d be bummed out.

80/100

Benevá Añejo Mezcal, four years in oak, 38%. Available in Mexico