Cuentacuentos Coyote Ancestral is produced by either Ángel Cruz Robles or Ángel Cruz Calvo in Sola de Vega, Oaxaca. Both mezcaleros craft their mezcal in the ancestral style using clay pot stills and mashing the agaves by hand.
About this mezcal
Cuentacuentos Coyote Ancestral is produced by Ángel Cruz Robles at his small palenque which is hidden in the forest high in the Sierra Sur mountains outside of Sola de Vega, Oaxaca. According to Cuentacuentos, maguey Coyote is found only in cultivation in this region and is not known to occur in the wild. The plant takes 18-20 years to mature. Once harvested, the agave is cooked for 72 hours in a traditional underground horno and then milled by hand with a wooden mallet in a canoe. It is then naturally fermented in 8-9 days and doubled-distilled in clay pots. Spring water is used to adjust the spirit to approximately 45.6% ABV. Ángel’s technique imparts a caramel flavor that does not overpower agave Coyote’s inherent earthiness. The resulting mezcal has a pronounced minerality and benefits from the ancestral method to fully express its unique terroir.
Mezcalero Ángel Cruz Calvo produces his maguey Coyote mezcal at his palenque which is just a few hundred yards from that of his grandson. His palenque has less sun with more humidity. The climate differences along with his own unique produces techniques create a noticeable difference in flavor between the mezcals from these two mezcaleros.
Cuentacuentos
Cuentacuentos curates small-batch traditional mezcals and destilados de agave from producers across the state of Oaxaca. Cuentacuentos released its first 6 mezcal expressions in 2018; future releases from the brand will change over time and include non-certified mezcals. The logo and bottle artwork (by artist Cesar Ruiz Conseco) features an opossum or tlacuache in Spanish. The tlacuache on the logo is El Viejito, the little old man opposum who stole mezcal from the demons as a service to humanity. The tlacuache ranks with the jaguar, eagle, and burro in importance in Zapotec, Taina, and Mexican mythologies. The Cuentacuentos motto is Mezcal brings people together, stories make us friends.
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COak
238 reviewsLot ACR046. Definitely clay pot. Taste like a frosted cinnamon bun with a spicy finish. Reminds me of espadin a bit. Excited to try any coyote.
tallchad
126 reviewsWhoa! Overripe fruit on the aroma—peaches, pineapple and light banana. The taste has more very ripe fruit with a little funk in the back of the tongue. Finish is the best part, it’s good and lingers a while with mild sweetness. Interesting profile but not enough bite for me. ACR046 Dec 2020
El Dawg
235 reviewsACR046
Strong, tangy, red apple smell. Reminds me of the espadin variety. Taste comes with more sweet, fruity notes with a crisp finish. Some graham crackers, dark fruit, with the classic clay pot tanginess. Low smoke and very well balanced. 4.25 but could get higher if I had a whole bottle…
Review #151
RyeAmLegend
37 reviewsLot: ACR046 Dec 2020
It’s a whole orchard in a glass. Apples, honey, wood bark. With time, that sweetness predictably fades for more spiced, herbal, vegetables notes. Cilantro, coriander. Earthy walnuts. Lime leaf, grapefruit peel. Sesame oil rich savory aromas. Maple sap in fresh cut lumber. Grasses and edible flowers. It’s mostly sweet on the nose with a savory undertone to it.
An amazingly intense dried tobacco flavor on the palate. A really fine cigar, rich oaky humidor. Expressed orange peel. Green coffee beans. Roasted carrots and yams. A touch of ash but not in a smoky way but more like a charcoal minerality. Salted peaches. Burnt ends with herb butter. Pine needles.
Nice mildly dry oak. Moss and dry grass. It’s like a tannic red wine finish. Dark fruits – plums, figs, and currents. Grape skins. That charcoal ashy flavor is present on the finish as well. It’s a musky campfire. Lots of those herbs and grasses. Sage, rosemary, celery, and parsley. Bit of old leather with a pine wood resin flavor.
I absolutely love this. It’s unassuming and full bodied. Well rounded fruit and woodsy flavors.
Lot: ACR046 Dec 2020
It’s a whole orchard in a glass. Apples, honey, wood bark. With time, that sweetness predictably fades for more spiced, herbal, vegetables notes. Cilantro, coriander. Earthy walnuts. Lime leaf, grapefruit peel. Sesame oil rich savory aromas. Maple sap in fresh cut lumber. Grasses and edible flowers. It’s mostly sweet on the nose with a savory undertone to it.
An amazingly intense dried tobacco flavor on the palate. A really fine cigar, rich oaky humidor. Expressed orang
JDB
190 reviewsABV 46.5% December 2020 Lot ACR046
Not sure if this is wild or cultivated Coyote, but I don’t get a rush of aromas, very faint. Some cooked agave, ginger root, and a rustic smell like an open barn. Definitely a wet hay note on the palate that starts up front and runs through the whole thing, not unpleasant. There is also a burnt rubber or hot innertube flavor (think tubing on a hot summer day). Sweet tea flavors as well as some herbal qualities. Not as robust as some other Americanas I have tried, and not as much of that clay distillation note that I like as well. Still there are some flavors in this mezcal that are worth exploring.
ABV 46.5% December 2020 Lot ACR046
Not sure if this is wild or cultivated Coyote, but I don’t get a rush of aromas, very faint. Some cooked agave, ginger root, and a rustic smell like an open barn. Definitely a wet hay note on the palate that starts up front and runs through the whole thing, not unpleasant. There is also a burnt rubber or hot innertube flavor (think tubing on a hot summer day). Sweet tea flavors as well as some herbal qualities. Not as robust as some other Americanas
Rakhal
430 reviewsACR046. I’ve tried multiple different batches of Coyote from this producer and some I definitely like more than others. This batch is excellent! It’s got this deep complex sweetness that I just can’t get enough of. Cinnamon, star anise, mud, hot apple cider, apple pie, Indica, redwood tree bark, s’more‘s, and blackberry jam. I could sip on this all night.
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsMarch 2022
Lot: ACR-052 Bottle: 727
Nose – Tropical fruit. Soft clay aroma. Light cream.
Palate – Papaya. Blackberry. Charred oak. Tobacco leaf and substantial campfire ash in the finish. Funky, lactic clay flavor slightly sour. This is alright just a bit too many burnt flavors.
Rating: 3 stars (2 oz. pour)
June 2021 (No batch info)
Nose – Fruit punch jelly bean. Has a slight meatiness to it like a smelling a patted dry top sirloin.
Palate – A hint of sour cream. The clay is nice. Bitter finish, almost a weed stem note, and the smoke is a tinge sour.
This is an interesting expression but it just didn’t quite come together for me.
Rating: 3 stars (Note: 1 oz. pour)
March 2022
Lot: ACR-052 Bottle: 727
Nose – Tropical fruit. Soft clay aroma. Light cream.
Palate – Papaya. Blackberry. Charred oak. Tobacco leaf and substantial campfire ash in the finish. Funky, lactic clay flavor slightly sour. This is alright just a bit too many burnt flavors.
Rating: 3 stars (2 oz. pour)
June 2021 (No batch info)
Nose – Fruit punch jelly bean. Has a slight meatiness to it like a smelling a patted dry top sirloin.
Palate – A hint of sour cream. The cl
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsClay. Mulch. Anise. Tangerines. Puppy Chow. Am I imagining these notes or are they really there? This is quite the ride. Not sure what to think
mezcalphd
8 reviewsVery nice coyote. Some of the classic slate clay taste from Sola de Vega. While many people crave the strong clay pot profile, I found this to be ever so slightly heavy for me, so 4 out 5, instead of 5. Very good!
Tyler
668 reviewsThis is an amazing clay-distilled mezcal. On the palate, there is an exquisite balance of clay, fruit, and wood. I get notes of black sesame seeds, salt, guava, and hickory. I remember tasting a Coyote en Barro from Sola de Vega at In Situ in Oaxaca City and this might be better. Can’t wait to try this maestro’s agave Espadin mezcal! Lot ACR004.
Jonny
736 reviewsLot ACR004. Bottle 91/120. Smells like slate and raw clay. This is very tasty. Hints of orange, vanilla cream, and lemon zest. This is bright and light with a bit of cinnamon cloves. Very good and worth trying.