La Venenosa Raicilla Sierra del Tigre is typically served at the end of the night due to it’s strong flavor and scent of blue cheese.
About this raicilla
La Venenosa Raicilla Sierra del Tigre is made by master Taberenero Don Luis Contreras in the village of Manzanilla de la Paz, which is approximately 2,000 metres above sea level. This Raicilla is made from agave Inaquidens, which is locally known as Bruto. This agave grows wild in coniferous forests and it is roasted over wood embers in an earthen oven. The still used for this Raicilla is ceramic, Filipino style. Don Luis produces about 700 litres per year. This is a rare La Venenosa, and it is typically served at the end of the night due to it’s strong flavor and scent of blue cheese.
La Venenosa Raicilla
Raicilla has been produced for over 500 years in the Mexican state of Jalisco, Mexico. Jalisco offers a plethora of agave species, second only to Oaxaca, however the Tequila made in Jalisco can only be made with the blue agave. Raicilla from Jalisco can be made with many different types of agave that are scattered across the landscape. These, along with great diversity in terroir, equipment and techniques, give Raicilla an amazing spectrum of flavor and history.
La Venenosa Raicilla range was created by Chef Esteban Morales to bring these hidden jewels to the global market. Esteban traversed the state in search of the best producers in each region. Every one of these Raicilla expressions is unique; created by different Maestro Taberneros in distinct regions, from different species of agave using diverse techniques, the individual results are astounding. Due to the relatively raw nature of Raicilla production, the ABV of each La Venenosa may vary slightly by batch.
Learn more:
- Don Luis and La Venenosa Sierra del Tigre on the Mezcal Reviews blog
Review this bottle
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Imperium
118 reviewsVery surprising to me for an Inaquidens! Cheesy but not so sour, and vegetal. I liked it.
Arlo
7 reviewsOn the nose strong blue cheese and pineapple, a little nouget. Sweet on the palette with a little salinity. Notes of concord grape. I like it!
Wayside Loop
6 reviewsI had this bottle several months ago and was blown away by how amazingly funky it was.
Nose- funk, cheese, dawn patrol on the ocean, green veggies, dusty rocks
Palate- smoky blue cheese blueberry cheesecake, orange peel, agave sweetness, and more funk
Finish lingers and oils the mouth. I can still taste this today and it brings me back to enjoying this underneath a backyard palapa in the extreme summer heat. One of my favorites and so unique.
Forpowder
122 reviewsLot A34 bottle 580T date 03/22 Aromas out of the bottle are like I’m not sure if I can drink this. Smells like sours stinky feet. After a long time, I got brave and finally took a sip. This is not for me. After airing out for a hour it became more drinkable, but what’s the point. Not my style.
Ben P
149 reviews43.2% version
Nose: Chalky candy like candy cigarettes, honey goat cheese, blue cheese, stanky melon
Palate and finish: big cheese on the front end, like sharp cheddar, then drying leather (I always get this with Inaequidens), soft cream cheese on the back end. The finish is tart yogurt.
I understand why many enjoy this but it isn’t really my thing. It’s funky, cheesy yogurt, and at those things it excels!
MezcalBabe
71 reviewsCreamy, funky. Like a funky cream cheese frosting. Love!
Average José
54 reviews* Date: 05-22
* Lot: 37
* Bottle: 128/350
* ABV: 43.2%
Orale! Wild and way past “funk”… By far the most heavy sour crema and blue cheese pour I’ve ever had.
Fruity, complex, floral with a fairly long lasting cream finish. Apricots and oranges with a sour nose. Not much smoke and more clay than I was expecting.
So unique, so wild… borderline offensive. I love Raicillas though and highly recommend trying this beast or La Venenosa’s Tabernas Edition III if you want a more tame option.
* Date: 05-22
* Lot: 37
* Bottle: 128/350
* ABV: 43.2%
Orale! Wild and way past “funk”… By far the most heavy sour crema and blue cheese pour I’ve ever had.
Fruity, complex, floral with a fairly long lasting cream finish. Apricots and oranges with a sour nose. Not much smoke and more clay than I was expecting.
So unique, so wild… borderline offensive. I love Raicillas though and highly recommend trying this beast or La Venenosa’s Tabernas Edition III if you want a more tame opti
RO_THE_MEZCAL_MAVEN
5 reviewsMy favorite of the bunch.Bottle 172-260 harvest year 10-22. Nose of goat cheese, cherries, orange peel. Yeast like with lite smoke. funky but delicious! I collect this one on my shelf.
Jam
183 reviewsLot 37, 05/22 production date, bottle 184-350, 43.2% abv
Review #6: moderate creaminess. Big burst of orange, reminding me of an orange creamsicle, a bit of fruity berries, and there’s some bell peppers with cheese around it. Lots of flavor on this for the low abv. This tasted like a dessert pour for me. Im a big fan, and didn’t get blue cheese on this newer batch like others mentioned on older ones (although i do like blue cheese). This is top tier
daydrinking
1 reviewLot 29. Feb 2021. Bottle 47 of 340.
Sour Cream and Onion Pringles.
I’ve tasted several different batches of this bottle at different bars over 3 years. Highly recommend for those who want to try something new and don’t know Raicilla. Better than Black or Green Label at least as a beginner. Very easy to smell so it’s easier to explain to newcomers.
On the nose is sharp cheese and salt, but with a deeper focus I get fruit like blueberries and also farmland with cornfields. Very complex but great for someone who is scared of agaves. Everyone will find something they smell. On the palate it starts light with fruit and salt. Spice comes through near the end. Cinnamon type flavors. The finish is fairly short (at least this lot…)
Overall it’s a great bottle to sip and find new things every taste. Coming in at 45% or higher it’s a great buy.
Lot 29. Feb 2021. Bottle 47 of 340.
Sour Cream and Onion Pringles.
I’ve tasted several different batches of this bottle at different bars over 3 years. Highly recommend for those who want to try something new and don’t know Raicilla. Better than Black or Green Label at least as a beginner. Very easy to smell so it’s easier to explain to newcomers.
On the nose is sharp cheese and salt, but with a deeper focus I get fruit like blueberries and also farmland with cornfields. Very c
Jonny
734 reviewsVery funky aromas that continue to open up the longer this sits in the glass. The initial note is blue cheese, and there are some really nice additional notes of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. This smells like pure berries and cheese. The palate matches the nose in terms of blue cheese + fresh berries, with an additional leathery tone and highly viscous mouthfeel. I’ve tasted a few batches of this and they’re fairly consistent. The notes above are from an unlabeled bottle purchased at the viñata.
Very funky aromas that continue to open up the longer this sits in the glass. The initial note is blue cheese, and there are some really nice additional notes of blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. This smells like pure berries and cheese. The palate matches the nose in terms of blue cheese + fresh berries, with an additional leathery tone and highly viscous mouthfeel. I’ve tasted a few batches of this and they’re fairly consistent. The notes above are from an unlabeled bottle purcha
exileonmorrison
10 reviewsLot A25. This Mezcal is something else. It has a big, bright citrus nose of orange and lime peels. At first taste, it is all orange sorbet with some floral orange blossom and unsweetened yogurt, then it finishes with a lingering creamy meringue feel. This Mezcal is very unique, but probably not a daily sipper.
Americana Kyle
60 reviewsThis was funkkkk and I liked it. It had a cheese salt popcorn characteristic about it that makes it very intriguing to me. I like weird, this is weird.
aarild
153 reviewsLot 30, April 2021. I had to rewrite this review after finally buying a full bottle. Popping the cork releases a smell of fromage blanc dessert with lemon, along with light smoke. From the glass, clay aroma and some hay are added. A fruit explosion follows on the palate, sour at first like fried bananas with greek yoghurt, but then the sourness is turning sweeter, with mascarpone cheese, papaya, charred pineapple, peach, lemon rind preserves. Eventually parboiled strawberries are dominating for a second, before a brief notion of proper Italian tiramisù with pastry cream, cocoa powder and amaretto. Finish starts with a hint of china bark and dried basil adding a nice herbal touch for balance. It’s triggering a vague memory of mezcal from Michoacán, perhaps? The aftertaste lingers forever.
It is simply amazing that it has been distilled with just a single pass, in clay pot stills. The sour aspect is the only thing that could possibly be polarising about this raicilla, because the craftsmanship is just excellent. I love it more for every sip.
Lot 30, April 2021. I had to rewrite this review after finally buying a full bottle. Popping the cork releases a smell of fromage blanc dessert with lemon, along with light smoke. From the glass, clay aroma and some hay are added. A fruit explosion follows on the palate, sour at first like fried bananas with greek yoghurt, but then the sourness is turning sweeter, with mascarpone cheese, papaya, charred pineapple, peach, lemon rind preserves. Eventually parboiled strawberries are dominating for
El_Roberto
23 reviewsBottle 34 of 70, lot 13, destilled 03/2018. Love this brand and their wild funky flavours. Smells like blue cheese, Boysenberry on the palate. Such a delicious berry flavour.
DaveMaguey
1 reviewDate 11-19, Lot 21, Bottle 48/390
I like this a lot! Strawberry cream cheese or something like that. Suave and a bit creamy feeling. Very unique, find a bottle and try it.
Rakhal
430 reviewsThis is one of the most polarizing agave spirits I’ve ever come across. In a recent Raicilla tasting two of our group loved it and the rest couldn’t stand it. I appreciate it for its uniqueness but I probably wouldn’t reach for it often if I had a bottle. Apparently the still that he uses to make this is quite unique, I’d love to visit his Taberna. As for the tasting notes… when I lived in Thailand there was a fermented yogurt drink called Yakult that we would drink to settle our stomach’s when we weren’t feeling well. This spirit reminds me of Yakult. Fermented milk, dried aged Mexican cheese, sour Pulque, the slight sweetness of fruit on the edge of rotting, and dirt. Definitely worth trying because you may just love it.
This is one of the most polarizing agave spirits I’ve ever come across. In a recent Raicilla tasting two of our group loved it and the rest couldn’t stand it. I appreciate it for its uniqueness but I probably wouldn’t reach for it often if I had a bottle. Apparently the still that he uses to make this is quite unique, I’d love to visit his Taberna. As for the tasting notes… when I lived in Thailand there was a fermented yogurt drink called Yakult that we would drink to settle our s
meserole
73 reviewsWow – this really is surprising and funky. Lactic/microbial/yogurt/sour cheese on the nose and mouth, with a sort of burnt cacao or fudge aftertaste. Like chocolate cheescake? Weird and exciting — easy sipper once you get used to it.
PhilBrunski
25 reviewsBig orange and blue cheese flavors. At first I wasn’t a fan of how thin the body and the abv felt but now im really enjoying this. As unique as it gets!
Nick
25 reviewsThis is a great raicilla to enjoy with summer salads – throw some fetta or blue cheese in (ok, a bit of balsamic vinegar, some cherry tomatoes…I digress). Rich, robust and yes funky, but the palette seems to want to come back for more. You’ll find more flavours hidden if you wait a bit and enjoy the back palette – breathe out slowly. Del tigre can surprise with a few more fruit flavours, some tempered with a bit of age. It’s certainly not a run of the mill raicilla. Don Luis Contreras, 46.7%, Lot 13, 03/18. Bottle 35/70.
This is a great raicilla to enjoy with summer salads – throw some fetta or blue cheese in (ok, a bit of balsamic vinegar, some cherry tomatoes…I digress). Rich, robust and yes funky, but the palette seems to want to come back for more. You’ll find more flavours hidden if you wait a bit and enjoy the back palette – breathe out slowly. Del tigre can surprise with a few more fruit flavours, some tempered with a bit of age. It’s certainly not a run of the mill raicilla.