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Susto Mezcal Joven

Susto Mezcal invites you to “fear nothing but the absence of taste.” This mezcal is round with notes of sweet agave, vanilla, and tropical fruit.

Rating: (4 reviews)
Brand:Susto Mezcal
NOM:NOM-O526X
Mezcalero:Crispín Pérez
Maguey:Espadin
Agave:Angustifolia
Milling:Tahona
Distillation:Copper
Style:Joven
State:Oaxaca
Town:San Dionisio Ocotepec
ABV: 42%
Release year: 2018
Website: https://sustomezcal.com/, opens in new window

About this mezcal

Susto Mezcal Joven is made by mezcalero Crispin Perez at his palenque in San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca. He draws on his Zapotec heritage and his family’s centuries-long tradition of making mezcal to produce this spirit. In 1996, Perez traveled abroad and worked as a dishwasher to raise money to fund his two priorities: hosting a community fiesta honoring the baptism of his daughters and expanding his mezcal production by purchasing his own copper still. Perez now serves as an elder – or leader – in his community and he and his family continue building their business of mezcal production.

Susto Mezcal

SUSTO MEZCAL is a project from Grupo Compadres, which is the evolution of a long-standing friendship between two families in Austin, TX and one in Oaxaca. In 2015, the five partners began serious conversations about launching a mezcal that honored the craftsmanship of mezcaleros and offered the unique experience of mezcal to Texas and beyond. They partnered with mezcalero Crispín Perez, who was already a respected local maestro mezcalero, in 2017 to bring SUSTO to life.

The word susto means fear or fright after significant events such as immense loss, natural disasters, and moments of high emotion. Such events, according to local folklore, can cause the separation of body and soul, and subsequently can be healed by curanderos, native faith healers or shamans, who typically offer a sip of mezcal at the end of their ritual to bring alignment back to the affected.

Grupo Compadres has also prioritized investing in the local, rural community where SUSTO MEZCAL is produced. A portion of SUSTO MEZCAL’s sales benefit the Oaxacan community foundation to fund educational scholarships for Oaxacan middle and high school students.

Member rating

3.63 out of 5

4 reviews

MPmezcal

MPmezcal

1 review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

First, an admission; I am not an “experienced” mezcal drinker. I mostly drink “brown goods”; whiskey and single malt Scotch are my favored. Recently I was given a bottle of Susto (bottle #3927-8064; batch# 01) as a gift from friends in Texas. I decided to open and share it with a couple of my buddies. I drank mine “neat” (as I do whiskey and Scotch) and found the flavor of Susto to be very smooth, smokey with subtle notes of vanilla, and quite delicious! My buddies also tried some of the Susto “recipes” and liked it as a cocktail. Being more of a “purist”, I went only so far as to pair my Susto neat with some (Halo) orange slices, which was a tasty combo, and oddly refreshing! Everyone gave Susto a “2 thumbs up”, so I rated Susto as 5 stars! Based on drinking Susto neat, I think it’s more savory flavor profile would make it pair nicely with meat, so I can easily see Susto being an alternative to a good whiskey, Scotch or even cognac. My ONLY complaint is thst Susto is not available anywhere near me (in Utah), at least not now. But I’ll keep watching for it to get “out west”, and hopefully soon.

First, an admission; I am not an “experienced” mezcal drinker. I mostly drink “brown goods”; whiskey and single malt Scotch are my favored. Recently I was given a bottle of Susto (bottle #3927-8064; batch# 01) as a gift from friends in Texas. I decided to open and share it with a couple of my buddies. I drank mine “neat” (as I do whiskey and Scotch) and found the flavor of Susto to be very smooth, smokey with subtle notes of vanilla, and quite delicious! My bu

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Tyler

Tyler

665 reviews
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Huge props to Susto for being transparent with the production information though it’s a bit odd the mezcalero, Crispín Pérez, is not listed the bottle (he’s on their website). The first time I tried it in a wine glass as my first sip of the evening and it was gross. The second experience was a little better. Susto has notes of burnt vanilla and plantains with a sour apple aftertaste that lingers in an undesirable way. More of a 2.5 star mezcal that might work well in cocktails. This was Batch #1 which is over 8,000 bottles.

Huge props to Susto for being transparent with the production information though it’s a bit odd the mezcalero, Crispín Pérez, is not listed the bottle (he’s on their website). The first time I tried it in a wine glass as my first sip of the evening and it was gross. The second experience was a little better. Susto has notes of burnt vanilla and plantains with a sour apple aftertaste that lingers in an undesirable way. More of a 2.5 star mezcal that might work well in cocktails. Thi

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MezcalMonthly

MezcalMonthly

1 review
Rated 5 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Batch: 01
Bottle: #3,055/8,064
Tasting Notes: This mezcal is delightful. The most prominent flavors are vanilla, citrus pith, and light smoke. All of the flavors are restrained and we’ll balanced. Complex enough to sip on its own but shines through nicely in a cocktail. This could certainly be a go to mezcal for me it was more available.

Kon-tiki

Kon-tiki

16 reviews
Rated 2 out of 5 stars6 years ago

Batch 01. Bottle 33/8064. At 8,064 bottles, this is a massive batch of mezcal and you can taste the difference….This is very unoffensive and not very interesting….The palate is a bit astringent with some notes of vanilla, honey, molasses, sulfur, spent fireworks, kerosene, and pencil erasers…Perhaps this is better in a cocktail, as I’m not enjoying this neat….I have no doubt that the producer is capable of making great mezcal, but this isn’t it. It tastes more like Tito’s Vodka than mezcal.

Batch 01. Bottle 33/8064. At 8,064 bottles, this is a massive batch of mezcal and you can taste the difference….This is very unoffensive and not very interesting….The palate is a bit astringent with some notes of vanilla, honey, molasses, sulfur, spent fireworks, kerosene, and pencil erasers…Perhaps this is better in a cocktail, as I’m not enjoying this neat….I have no doubt that the producer is capable of making great mezcal, but this isn’t it. It tastes more

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