Derrumbes Michoacan

Another solid release from Derrumbes.
Lot 1
Woody, leathery, spicy, vegetables mixed with a touch of lactic cheese flavor you might find in a raicilla. Given the accessible price point easily 4 stars (at a higher price point would be more like 3.5). A bit short on the finish and a bit too hot for me, but tasty nonetheless.

Tried a different lot (don’t have the number written down) with much the same flavor profile, although this one had more sour notes like lemon/grapefruit.

LOTE: 6
Bottle 973/1350
03/19
48% ABV

Initial nasal impact is drying with a slight prickle.
Aroma of papaya, ancho pepper, honey, eucalyptus, pineapple.
A coating mouthfeel, buttery with sufficient alcohol and sweet.
Cooked agave and papaya stand out on the flavor, followed by honey, pepper, stone fruit. Some minty eucalyptus, vanilla, earth, mineral and a hint of watermelon. Long finish with some charred oak providing the smoke. Nice combination of cupreata and alto agaves. Slightly complex. Good balance. I really enjoy mezcal and tequila from Michoacan. Derrumbes once again gives a quality mezcal at a very approachable price.

Lote A8 bottle 4807 year 7/20 45.3% Aromas out of the bottle are Asotone cut green grass sweetness. Mouthfield is amazing smooth soft dark green With some kind of candid finish NO smoke Just loving the flavors and how they all come together on this one. My 2nd favorite from this producer. Mild funk think I am going to really like this one after it airs out some. This is amazing good it just keeps developing.i believe that the aroma from this one is my favorite from any Mezcal. The sweetest Mezcal I have ever tasted. I like this.

Lot 11, Bottle 124/2900 3/2022 abv: 44.9%

So much good mezcal coming out of Michoacán. very happy to see more choices and brands on the market. Derrumbes has been available for a while now, I remember seeing these bottles available back at least in 2015/16. I really like this one. Not sure of the percentage blend between these two agaves, but the inaequidens comes through strongly. Bit of paint thinner on the nose initially which dissipates quickly. Flavors are sweet , cotton candy and mulberry jam. The backend has some minerality, dry cedar, and a hint of salinity. I have had some ensembles from La Luna featuring these two agaves (Bruto and Chino) and they have been pretty fantastic as well. Looking over the other reviews, I can see the lemon/lemongrass quality as well as the cinnamon (bark). My lot has a lot less smoke than others note in their reviews, but it is there faintly.

LOTE 2 – BOTELLA 43/1300 – FECHA 11/15
This tasteful ensamble of two agave varieties and the production in Michoacán make this mezcal a wonderful example to experience flavours from the raw material and the region it was grown in.

NOSE: agave, green vegetables, pepper, minerality, touch of smoke
PALATE: slightly smoky, typical agave notes, fruity, hint of sweetness
MOUTHFEEL: full bodied, smooth, velvety to oily
FINISH: long with agave and slighty smoky

Lote: A8 Botella: 480 (07/2020)
Nose – Papaya juice. Vanilla icing. Peppermint.

Palate – Peppermint breath mint. Sweet pickle. Cake frosting. I love Michoacan mezcal and this one brings it! It’s more sugary than the Alto/Cupreata ensambles I’ve tried but doesn’t overdo it. The maguey notes are balanced nicely with this sweetness and the smoke is just right. Greenspoint noted in an earlier batch that it tasted like it was punching higher than the ABV – good call and I get the same here. This is noted at 45.3% but to me it feels like 48-49% – but I ain’t complaining! 🙂

Practically no smoke on the nose. Very floral, scent of ripe fruit. Ripe banana stands out most. The taste is very unique and fruity, but not really sweet. Very floral, notes of lavender and licorice. Love its tropical fruit taste. Much like other mezcals I’ve tried, this one got better after sitting in the bottle for some time after drinking a few sips. When I first opened the bottle there was a strong ground black pepper aroma, which has completely disappeared after some time (both the black pepper and the current aroma is delicious by the way). I like this one better than the one from Oaxaca and as much as the one from San Luis Potosí.

Lot 48 Bottle #432T; Dist 07/2020.
?- clear
?- drying impact.
Aromas of cooked camote, floral, honey, ripe peach, apricot, papaya, white pepper.
Adequate and simple production aroma.
Average length and ordinary character.
?- astringent slightly coating effect; sufficient smooth alcohol; medium body.
Primarily sweet taste with sour highlights; buttery smoothness.
Flavors of ripe cooked agave, quiote and camote, honey, peaches, apricot, papaya.
Concentrated flavor intensity, slightly complex character, correct balance.
Straightforward and very long finish.
Very good overall impression.
*Seems slight flat structurally, sweet without much astringency.

Learn more about organoleptic evaluation at the International Wine & Spirits Guild’s seminar in Fine Spirits,
or more on Agave Spirits certifications through the Agave Spirits Institute.

Lote 5, 49.3%
Nose: Spirity at first with pine tar and latex, then fresh mixed greens, lemon grass, and a fruity burst of lime, papaya, and pineapple, dusted with cumin and hot beach sand.
Palate: An interplay of fruity and savory: sweet and sour chicken, capers, thyme, guava, lemon-lime syrup, and lavender. Medium-full body.
Finish: Big hit of fresh rubber which tapers into sweetgrass, reed, clay, and a touch of pepper. Medium length.

The balance of herbal and fruity flavors is spot on – it feels like new notes emerge with every sniff and sip.

Lot 5, 49.3%

Aromatic, a gentle swirl and I can smell the cupreata, lemon, sour yuzu. Lots of cirtus and papaya, other tropical fruits in there like passionfruit – high toned, some banana. Eucalyptus, some gentle vanilla, clove. Mandarin, touch of smoke and meat, coffee bean, rose water.

Good viscosity, not super acidic like the nose suggested. Some flinty minerality, just a trickle of light pleasant ash and pepper on the finish. All the fruit hits the entry and swells to more white pepper and minerality. Some gentle herbaceousness like juniper or fir into the finish which is pretty long and even.

I haven’t had much from this area. The nose is so tart but the palate so nice, but what minerality and ashyness appear I do love. A complex development and unique profile. Solid pour, bright nose and dark palate.

the least favorite of this label.nose is average and comparable to any mezcal that would be on the inexpensive price range.i get smoke and bittersweet agave on the tongue and not much else.not offensive but would not be my 1st,2nd or 3rd choice. UPDATE 2-29-20. i saw this bottle in the back of my closet and had not been touched in a year or more.when i opened the bottle it was a completely different mezcal! the nose came to life with notes of melon and vanilla.the taste reminded me of the sweet tart candy called spree.the finish was mild,sweet with pleasant smoke.once again,it proves that time can change a mezcal and this was a vast improvement.