Ojo de Tigre Reposado Mezcal

Take Ojo de Tigre's espadín-and-tobalá blend, then rest it five months in American oak, and you get this Reposado — a softer, rounder, more autumnal take on the same idea. Aged mezcal is still a slightly niche pleasure, and this is a lovely, affordable way in. The espadín comes from Oaxaca, the wild tobalá from Puebla.

The making is traditional throughout: pit-roasted agave, tahoná milling, double distillation in copper, then time in barrel. Oak does interesting things to mezcal — it doesn't hide the smoke so much as fold it into vanilla and spice, softening the whole picture.

Bottled at 37%, it's the gentlest of the range. The nose is cooked agave, light caramel and vanilla with soft wood and a herbal background, the smoke now a quiet undertone. The palate is smooth and rounded — sweet up front, a little spice through the middle, smoked nuts and a lightly woody finish. It's easygoing and warming, the kind of mezcal you drink when you want smoke without the sharpness.

This is a fireside sipper, or the mezcal to convert someone who thinks they don't like mezcal.

How to Serve

Neat in a copita or short tumbler, room temperature. The oak and softer strength also make a mellow, less smoky Old Fashioned.

Where to Drink It

Scarfes Bar for a fireside pour. Tayēr + Elementary, Shoreditch. Black Rock in Shoreditch.

Food Pairings

Try it with mole poblano or a plate of dark chocolate and toasted pecans — the vanilla and smoke echo the roast.