5 Sentidos Jabali-Tobala

JT06-19 ABV 46.9%
While a good mezcal. This one is not for me. Perhaps it’s the clay pot distillation.
The two of my favorite maguey dance and it has that initial excitement of a great mezcal, but gets lost on the way to the podium.
First flavor is the minerality and salinity of a solid mezcal.
With a dash of pepper, a bit of smoke.
It has the mezcal funk on the front end but teases it rather than delivering.
Finish Dried Jackfruit. Texture forward not sweet but still jungle fruit is found.
Clay pot distillation lingers. On the tongue.

48.9% ABV batch

Nose: Vanilla, cream covered mangoes, limeade, honeysuckle

Palate: Vanilla ice cream on the front, Creamy milk chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, banana skins, fruity light, dessert peppers, slight green on the backend, like carrots or sweet bell peppers. More herbal and mineral on the finish, still nice and light, lemongrass, etc. the Tobala comes through beautifully and very creamy in this. The clay influence is awesome and apparent also. Minty but also soft and creamy. Nice light pepper on the back end.

Overall this is really nice, creamy and fruity with a hint of herb on the finish. The best qualities come out of both the Jabali and the Tobala.

I was saying to a friend that I loved the funky, clay mezcals from Minas, so he recommended I get some of Alberta Martinez’ juice.
Meaty like coal-grilled beef, clay and charred wood right away on the nose follwed by banana pudding and cinnamon.
Roasted nuts, cinnamon and a bit of spicy numbing habanero on the front of the tongue. Funky pulque and earthy clay.
Sweet and peppery, smoky roasted agave on the middle. Some tropical notes of guava, cherimoya, banana and black cherry on the back. Followed by and exhale of campfire smoke and toasted chili chapulines.
The jabali gives it a sweet, funky, tropical kick and the tobala balances it out with a herbal, peppery zip.
My kind of Mezcal

BATCH: JBTB 10-21, 46.6%, BOTTLE 102/145

Nose – Sweet and earthy – leather, wet dirt, vinyl.

Palate – Earthy, funky sweetness – banana, banana pith, cream cheese, almonds.

Finish – Lingering sweet and spicy – orange rind, ginger, rubber bands.

Great Mezcal. Lots of depth and character. To note, this Mezcal was reviewed with a bottle that has sat on the shelf for a few months; therefore a bit mellowed out than when it was fresh.

Batch JT06-19
Bottle 123/132
46.9% ABV
123 ltr batch
Harvested 94 Tobalá / 70 Jabali piñas
This is an incredibly complex mezcal, each time you go back to it, it shows more ankle. Could review the same bottle next week and add to the notes.
Slightly drying initial nasal impact.
Aroma of clay, musty attic, very ripe tropical fruit.
A buttery mouthfeel and drying with very generous alcohol. Pleasingly sweet.
Where to begin on the palate? Green banana, cherry flavored cream soda (if there is such a thing), jasmine, gauva, smoked Brie cheese, rain soaked clay pot, wildflower honey, mint, orange blossom, pineapple cooked with brown sugar…… the more you sip, the more it develops. And oh yeah, there is smoke or char that is very present but unbelievably balanced.
The finish is long and complex, continuingly adding depth. Overall impression is beyond excellent. This mezcal from the great Alberto Martinez and his son in law Reynaldo is a MUST have. Just remarkable

Some 5 Sentidos bottles need to be open for a while before they come into their own and this is one of them. But boy does it open up! It’s almost like the Jabali and Tobala flavors are dancing, sometimes one or the other taking lead, sometimes working perfectly in sync. One of the more complex and evolving spirits I’ve tasted. Nose has citrus, overripe fruit, a hint of sweat cream and cow, all carried by that signature Jabali nail polish, though much less pronounced than Alberto Martinez’s straight Jabali. Palate is sweet cream at the very beginning, quickly followed by the two dancers. One of them is bright fruit, stone, tropical and citrus, the other is earth, agave, hay, chili pepper, to a lesser extent herbs and green veggies. Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, but could be heavier and is a bit astringent. Finish is much less sweet than the palate, very long, lemongrass, herbs, minerality, clay pot, sharp and refreshing. Tough to place on the scale of Alberto Martinez offerings, I think it’s more complex than the straight Jabali or straight Tobala but not as complex as the Sierra Negra-Tobala and not quite as tasty as that or the straight Jabali. It certainly stands out as unique from any of those and is worth adding to the collection. 90/100

batch EN03. 48.1% abv. bottle 48/87. i’m having a hard time picking this one apart, as there is a ton going on and it’s rather elusive in the glass. seems to morph and develop by the minute. like the 5 sentidos sierra negra from the same mezcalero, it’s at once rustic and refined. HUGE nose. upfront is a fragrant fruitiness that i can’t quite pin (overripe apples, grilled pineapple, ???) , roasted agave, toasted oak, slight barnyard funk. sweetness on the palate is very earthy, slightly vegetal, with musty minerality and all the fruitiness from the nose harmonizing in the background. very deep and round in the mouth, unbelievably smooth with a pleasant warming buzz as it goes down. long, long finish elegantly fades into hot desert rocks. tremendous mezcal. must try the rest of the line.