Lajita Mezcal Reposado mit Wurm

Lajita is an Espadin mezcal in the reposado class, meaning it has spent a minimum of two months in oak before bottling, which softens the agave and lends a rounder, lightly spiced character. The larva resting in the bottle, the gusano, is a twentieth century commercial bottling custom rather than a marker of authenticity or strength, and plenty of fine mezcal carries none.
Espadin, Agave angustifolia, is the cultivated backbone of Oaxacan mezcal, valued for its balance of sweet roasted agave and restrained smoke. Pit roasting caramelises the agave hearts and infuses the wood smoke that reads here as earth, baked agave and a faint ember, while the short oak rest adds a quiet woody edge. The result is a velvety, mildly piquant body carrying lemongrass and a touch of oak, finishing dry and rich at 40 percent.