5 Sentidos Candelillo is part of “La Colección Mixteca,” a curated selection of spirits from the rustic, mountainous Mixteca region of Oaxaca and Puebla.
About this destilado de agave
5 Sentidos Candelillo is a limited release that is part of “La Colección Mixteca” from Cinco Sentidos. Many people believe that Agave Karwinskii is found only in Oaxaca, but there are small pockets of maguey “Candelillo,” or “Cachetún” as it is known locally, in the Zapotitlan Salinas region. When regional mezcaleros work with this agave, they roast with a considerable amount of “penca” before shaving it off after the roast. Post-roast, the cooked Candellilo is mashed with wooden mallets and distilled in a makeshift galvanized steel and “cazuela” still. Due to the scarcity of agave Candelillo, it is unlikely that this batch will be repeated in the near future. The 2019 batch of this was just 128 liters.
“La Colección Mixteca” is a curated selection of small-batch agave spirits crafted in the rustic distilleries of the mountainous Mixteca region of Oaxaca and Puebla. Each bottling explores the maestro mezcalero’s interpretation of subjecting agave endemic to the region to peculiar production methods and styles that have largely fallen out of favor in modern times. A significant portion of sales from the collection will be used for palenque improvement projects.
5 Sentidos
5 Sentidos (or Cinco Sentidos) is named after the five senses that their mezcaleros use to produce their agave spirits. The producers of this mezcal do not use any model machinery or tools, being guided only by their senses throughout the production process. The brand was launched by El Destilado restaurant in centro Oaxaca. The restaurant is known for it’s creative menu, unique cocktails, and exception agave spirits. The brand is a curated tour of Mexico with a wide range of expressions that are made by some of the best mezcaleros in the region. Cinco Sentidos is uncertified mezcal and is labeled as “Destilado de Agave”.
Learn more about 5 Sentidos:
- Cinco Sentidos and El Destilado on Mezcal Reviews
- Santa María Ixcatlán: Rawhide Fermentation with Amando Alvarez on Mezcal Reviews
- What’s in A Name? on the K&L Wines Spirits Journal blog
Review this bottle
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Bryen
101 reviewsI noticed this one peeking out from one of the shelves and when I got home had to do some research, as I’d never heard of it! Rakhal’s review made me super interested so, of course, had to go back today to purchase the bottle lol this is an incredible bottle! The nose is a bit different than the flavor profile. Right away definitely getting the green, vegetal aromas from the karwinskii along with the earthy, soil, wet leaves and some citrus aromas. The taste is complex and sweet but not overly sweet– musty and moldy with citrus and funk and I love it. Salinity is present but also can tell this one was distilled in a hybrid still, some metallic aftertaste from the still. From brief research, I didn’t see other brands that had a Candelillo mezcal in the US so definitely going to cherish this bottle lol
EDIT: coming back and adding a comment now that this has opened up for a few weeks. BUY THIS IF YOU CAN FIND IT. Wish I could rate over 5 stars but this is even better now that it’s opened up. WOW.
I noticed this one peeking out from one of the shelves and when I got home had to do some research, as I’d never heard of it! Rakhal’s review made me super interested so, of course, had to go back today to purchase the bottle lol this is an incredible bottle! The nose is a bit different than the flavor profile. Right away definitely getting the green, vegetal aromas from the karwinskii along with the earthy, soil, wet leaves and some citrus aromas. The taste is complex and sweet but
Jordan
11 reviewsDefinitely get the mushroom funk Rakhal is talking about – not too savory but definitely not sweet. mushroom, nutmeg, sweet potato and moss.
t8ke
144 reviewsWow – the celery salt note here is super fun and really intrigues my palate. The combination of vegetal notes, salinity and soil works really well here.
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsSticky toffee pudding, grapefruit, burnt sugar. Really interesting. Maybe some chocolate in there, i dunno. Complex with a lot going on but pretty well integrated.
Rakhal
430 reviewsMTXC06-01. WHOA!!! This is wild!! Right off the bat I got something funky and animal-y, like a sweaty horse, then it’s just deep and earthy like digging in the forest through wet leaves down to the black soil. Like decaying ancient trees covered in mushrooms. Dried porcini mushrooms, other mushrooms, dark black soil, wet leaves, tobacco leaf, and cinnamon. I love this SO MUCH!!!
Jonny
738 reviewsLot MXTC06-01. This really opens up! It’s changed quite a bit since opening the bottle, adding depth the longer it sits. This karwinskii is super interesting. It’s like meeting up with an old friend, who you used to do a lot of crazy stuff with as a kid, and finding that the friend is still doing all the same crazy stuff from your past. Lots of sour citrus on the nose, with aromas of limes, lemons, and pickled jalapeno. The palate is well settled with a nice leathery, campfire pocket holding rougher notes of fresh green peppers, cream, key lime, and tobacco.
Lot MXTC06-01. This really opens up! It’s changed quite a bit since opening the bottle, adding depth the longer it sits. This karwinskii is super interesting. It’s like meeting up with an old friend, who you used to do a lot of crazy stuff with as a kid, and finding that the friend is still doing all the same crazy stuff from your past. Lots of sour citrus on the nose, with aromas of limes, lemons, and pickled jalapeno. The palate is well settled with a nice leathery, campfire pocket