5 Sentidos Sierra Negra is produced by young mezcalero Reynaldo Alejandro in Santa Catarina Albarradas.
About this destilado de agave
5 Sentidos Sierra Negra is produced using maguey Sierra Negra by mezcalero Reynaldo Alejandro at his palenque “La Ilusión”. The agaves are cooked in a brick-lined underground oven, hand-mashed with wooden mallets, fermented in both rawhide and stone tanks with “encino de ague” bark, and double-distilled to taste in a set of eight clay pot stills.
In 2024, Reynaldo’s Sierra Negra became the primary 5 Sentidos Sierra Negra distributed in the United States, in place of the releases from Alberto Martinez, his father-in-law.
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
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Bryen
101 reviewsI’m really loving the stuff that Reynaldo is producing and the integration of the rawhide fermentation is super solid! And this one integrates cement fermentation which is super unique as well. I feel like 5S had to be sure about this one to have it replace the old Sierra Negra from Alberto Martinez that is so highly acclaimed and they didn’t miss!
A lot of the same flavor characteristics as Alberto’s, funky, earthy, some sweetness/fruitiness in there, and a bit lactic. However, this one takes it a bit further and is a bit more complex in my opinion. There’s a bit of slate flavor in there from the cement and it also gives it a very dry texture on the backend. The rawhide fermentation doesn’t overpower here. The clay pot flavor comes through and makes it feel like Alberto’s batches. The label says it was cooked for 23 days which is a long cook and the smoke is really solid here.
I actually like this more than Alberto’s Sierra negra and am really glad I bought this bottle.
I’m really loving the stuff that Reynaldo is producing and the integration of the rawhide fermentation is super solid! And this one integrates cement fermentation which is super unique as well. I feel like 5S had to be sure about this one to have it replace the old Sierra Negra from Alberto Martinez that is so highly acclaimed and they didn’t miss!
A lot of the same flavor characteristics as Alberto’s, funky, earthy, some sweetness/fruitiness in there, and a bit lactic. However, this one