Mezcal Scorpion Añejo

Mezcal Scorpion Añejo is an Espadín mezcal made in small batches in Oaxaca by distiller Doug French, who learned the trade from Don Lupe, a third generation mezcalero. It is best known for the scorpion sealed in every bottle, a showman's flourish rather than a marker of tradition, but underneath sits a genuinely aged spirit and a recognisable maker.
The agave is pit roasted in the Oaxacan way, which lends the roasted, ember and earth notes typical of the style, then double distilled and matured for twelve months in French oak barrels of less than 200 litres. The wood pushes the profile towards salted caramel, vanilla pod and dried tobacco, while lime, melon and a leafy, lightly bitter finish keep the cooked agave in view. At 40% it lands soft and dry at once, with a spiced, smoky close.