Mezcal Unión El Viejo Espadín y Tobalá

El Viejo is named for the old man who told Unión's founders that the future of mezcal would have to be a union — and it's the brand's tobalá blend. Mezcal Unión is a cooperative of Oaxacan producer families rather than a single palenque, one of the most-poured cocktail mezcals in the US and Mexico; Pedro Hernández is the master mezcalero, and since 2021 the brand belongs to Diageo. El Viejo is an ensamble of farm-grown espadín and wild tobalá — the small, slow-growing king of the wild agaves — from plants eight to fourteen years old, roasted in an earthen pit, fermented, double-distilled, and bottled at 40% ABV; because tobalá is scarce, availability is far lower than Uno's. Drinkhacker found it more complex than Uno with an earthier underbelly: green pepper, cayenne, and mixed herbs, especially thyme, on the nose, then a sharper, heavier smokiness with fresh-ground pepper, bright green herbs, cumin, and cayenne. Mezcal Reviews' tasters found jalapeño, green bell pepper, and florals, a mineral, slightly brackish start, pine, cedar, and black pepper — woody, earthy, easy-sipping for a great price, a solid weeknight choice. Honest note: the tobalá share is modest and some tasters wish for more of it — this is the step up from Uno rather than a wild single-agave bottle. For an Oaxaca Old Fashioned, a Mezcal Negroni, or neat, it's the old man's mezcal.

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