Ilegal Joven

Ilegal Joven is my go to for cocktails and I am happy to sip it too! It is bright, fresh and citrusy. Is it super complex? No. But nothing in this $40 price range is. So you have to know what you are getting. In this case a solid espadin that is flexible enough to work well in cocktails or be sipped as well.

Whispy and light – easy to mix into cocktails and won’t overpower any of your senses. Nevertheless a cool brand with great marketing and works great as a well mezcal.

I enjoyed this with agave syrup, but not a neat sipper. The alcohol taste over rides the delight of a smokie return. I do recommend this for a mixer. The taste does come through in a cocktail and makes you wonder if the smoke is an illusion or a campfire outside your door.

living in OH, my mezcal choices are very few (yeah, it blows), so I grabbed a bottle and still have some lingering in my cabinet. it’s ok for the mid-western price point but it is nothing you would ever bring back from MX. will not buy again

This is a great espadin!! A mouthful of agave and just a hint of smoke. Just how I love my Mezcal. Great for crushable cocktails as well.

Yes, this was my first mezcal. …And I do not regret it. Smoke without ego. Easy alone, but still plays well with other flavors.

Not worth buying if you are into Mezcal. Maybe okay as your first Mezcal.

Cool bottle with waxed cork. Light smoke and wood on the aroma, good taste, finish is long, smooth and a little sweet.

An excellent cocktail mezcal, but with the prices in the UK that’s going to be a very expensive cocktail. As a sipper it falls flat – probably the low abv.

It was underwhelming at best. Was referred by a friend, but I wasn’t pleased and just gave it away after trying it. It goes down alright with some lime, but no real flavor, a whole lot of burn and is even lame in cocktails. Wouldn’t recommend.

Meh. Bit of pepper and floral notes. A bit plain, nothing stands out too much

Mild and easy to drink. First impression on the tongue was sweet followed by gentle smoke. There is some subtle fruit but for me the lasting impression is sweet and light smoke.

Good Espadin. The maguey wasn’t listed on the label but I knew it was Espadin just by sniffing from the bottle after opening. There are bottles of Espadin that come before this one regarding price, value, taste. The labeling is a little generic and has clever Spanish that seems to give a little wiggle room as to production.
Bottle 4692/5040
Lot 87

Not my favorite well mezcal. A little overpriced and pretty generic tasting. I definitely prefer mezcal out of Ejutla vs Matatlan.

I’ve had this a few times now. It’ll pass as a base spirit for cocktails but I wouldn’t use the joven for sipping at all, especially if you are really into well crafted mezcals

Tried this once at a friends. The taste profile is really generic and kind of on the cheap side when it came to their production( from the taste). Typical smoky well mezcal. Wouldn’t buy or use this as a sipper. Can be good for cocktails. Not very well balanced as they claim to be. Their reposado is pretty good though.

Lot 06. Very soft and neutral, not much smoke. The typical agave sweetness is dominating; there isn’t much else. In fact, the lack of complexity makes the aftertaste rather too sweet for me. A good mixer but not much of a sipper. And for a low-proof unremarkable espadín, it isn’t that cheap.

Faintly smoky and mild on the palette. It is a decent option at a reasonable entry point for mixing. People who like repesado tequilas may find this a comfortable transition to mezcal as it is so mild. I find myself wanting more flavor.

My favorite part of tasting any mezcal is first smelling it and I get little to nothing on the nose here. I would have liked to have gotten an over cooked agave bouquet. Although, the flavor holds up in cocktails if you are looking for a muted amount of smoke. This to me is a good product in the “entry level” category.