5 Sentidos Pechuga de Mole Poblano

batch pmpdel 12-22, 48.5% abv.
(This is the newer Tequiliana Weber, not the Espadin)

Review #36: very savory with sautéed mushrooms, cinnamon sugar, barnyard hay, wet animal fur, roasted nuts, cacao powder. After opening up more fruits come out like peach, apple, cooked pear, banana.

This is another 5S that has beautiful layers. Nice earthy savory notes as a base, but as you drink more you get the fruits. I was looking darker flavors here from the mole but it’s actually not as much spice or chocolate as i expected. Still, this is excellent

5 Sentidos Pechuga de Mole Poblano MP01 (48.3%) (tasted blind)

nose: pickled onion, apricot, kumquat, mangos, thyme, bay leaves, really expressive and fruity nose, bit of guava, pine nuts, saffron, bit of basil

palate: delicious creamy goodness, dates, nutty, cooked rosemary, cumin, somewhat bitter toward the finish, cajeta on the finish,

initial impressions… this is very very good. finish is a bit lackluster compared to the rest. palate improves with air time. probably an 8/10 for me?

guess: i’m waffling between copper and incredibly clean clay. if it’s clay this is probably tio rey or 5S tio pedro. if it’s copper… maybe tio tello? haven’t had much from him but i think that’s prob wrong… I could see it being a barranca thing maaaybe? abv is right around 50%, i’m gonna say… tio rey arroqueno. yup. can’t wait to be super wrong.

reveal: … i missed in just about every way possible lol. 5 Sentidos Pechuga de Mole. after the reveal i totally see how the dates, nuts and spices on the palate could translate to mole.

if you’re reading this, PLEASE INCLUDE BATCH INFO IN YOUR REVIEWS!!!!

Lot: MP07-18M
Just had this for the first time in a couple years and I am reminded of how much I love this Pechuga!! Nutty and chocolatey and spicy and funky with tons of umami, this Mezcal is just delicious!! The power of suggestion is strong when tasting Mezcal and when I read the reviewer mention that it smelled like “reptile terrarium” it totally clicked for me. What a great tasting note!!! I’m also getting the Campbell’s Tomato Soup flavor. What a cool, complex, unique, and interesting Mezcal!!!

Nose – Old Dutch (??) Mexican Chili flavor potato chips (its uncanny!). Mesquite BBQ chicken wings.

Palate – A meaty and savory pechuga that I applaud because it doesn’t overdo it with baking spices and fruit. A slick, oily mouthfeel – another plus. Roasted poblano pepper. Dark chocolate, Lawry’s seasoning salt and mesquite smoke in the finish. This is great – it’s balanced to work with and enhance the typical flavors of the espadin. I’m usually not big on pechugas but this one is very well crafted and unique.

MP01-19CA, Nov 2019, 120 Litres. Bottle 89/98. 48.8% ABV.

It took a few pours to wrap my head around this bottle. When first opened, a notable funk like “reptile terrarium” wafted up and out (incredibly, this batch was fermented in rawhide). This eventually fades to fine Italian leather as other notes emerge like Campbell’s tomato soup, ripe bananas, citrus, and mint. The palate is rich in brown sugar, chocolate, sourdough, ancho chillies and other spices — like a saltwater sponge toffee dipped in spicy mayan chocolate. The finish is long and savoury and ends in sugar snap peas. Stunning from start to finish. An easy fiver from Marcelo Luna!

Honestly, the best pechuga I’ve tried, though to be fair, it’s quite different in almost every way. First of all, the oily viscosity of other pechugas is largely absent here. The “mole” flavors are indeed strongly present here – the chocolate, chile, and cinnamon flavors make for a lovely dessert mezcal, and I’ve got to give them points for achieving the goal. I realize that ancestral pechuga mezcals, which include chicken, fruits, etc., are much more subtle additions to the flavor, but I honestly prefer this bolder take that doesn’t leave me simply imagining what was added. Finally, a super long smooth aftertaste had me hooked – creamy vanilla and river rocks that served as a post-dinner souvenir for the hour after eating until I brushed my teeth. Delicious.

Tried at the El Destilado restaurant in Oaxaca City.

The nose kicks off with sharp minerality, kind of like pickled mustard plant stem. There is a hint of tropical fruits. While this may not be a superlatively aromatic mezcal, it has an incredibly complex flavor profile. The standout note(s) are medicinal and remind me of TCM I’ve consumed in the past. There is a bitter element that comes through with the poblano pepper–kind of like powdered cacao. There is a certain coat-your-mouth creaminess to this mezcal, and a noticeable lactic influence that is very complementary of the body. What fruitiness is pleasant is at times masked by the heat and the spice notes. There is a funkiness to this that very much so reminds me of Phoenix Aroma baijiu. The finish is another standout feature–it’s quite long, and the warming sensation on the tongue is very pleasant. Initially, I get hints of elote and a bright earthy minerality, which dry down into a nice nuttiness. This is an excellent mezcal and certainly one to revisit, as I know I’ll need multiple sessions with it to really appreciate all that it’s got to offer.