Mezcal Vago Espadín by Emigdio Jarquín

Tastings.com scored this 94 points, and The Auditor calls it simply delicious — up there with his favorite espadíns anywhere. Mezcal Vago began when Judah Kuper, in a Oaxacan hospital, fell in love with the nurse treating him; her father, Aquilino García, made mezcal, and the brand launched in 2013 bottling single-maestro mezcals with the producer's name and batch on the label. Emigdio Jarquín Ramírez — the blue label — is known throughout Miahuatlán for his distilling expertise; his family palenque sits at 5,000 feet in the El Nanche district, in semi-arid hills where the calcium-carbonate soil gives everything he makes a mineral streak. The Espadín is pit-roasted, crushed by tahona, wild-fermented, and distilled in a copper refrescadera still, hand-bottled at around 50% ABV; check your batch. The Auditor: a thick, oily mouthfeel, warm and dry, an explosion of lemon zest, peppercorn, vanilla, blueberry, strawberry, and mango, finishing tangy with earth and minerals. Mezcal Reviews' tasters: deep, rich, mineral, and sweet, banana candy, graham cracker, and baking spice — at half the price of most Miahuatlán bottles, a great buy that stands out side by side with pricier espadíns. Honest note: still strength, batch-varying, and one of the best-value single-maestro mezcals on the shelf. Neat, in a copita. Emigdio's espadín, from El Nanche.

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