Maguey Melate Jabali – Ildefonso Macedas Ginez

Review #145: The nose has nuts, rubber, earthy, lemon pith, sweet potato, tobacco, pine, cedar, leather, milk chocolate, and vanilla
The palate is very woody, leather, caramel, vanilla bean, pine, milk chocolate, nutty, sweet potato, tobacco, moss, black pepper, and lots of fuzzy jabali tingles.

This was part of a side by side, and it felt like a totally different end of the spectrum of the others. One interesting thing is it had noticeably more of those fuzzy tingles compared to the others while having no heat from the high abv. It is so delicious, like a dessert, with such a richness and viscosity to it. It is overall on the savory side and one of my favorites I have had from that kind of profile.

Simply put, this Mezcal is next level. The more I drank it, the more I shared it, the more I enjoyed it. The nose is a stop into a morning bakery. There is vanilla, caramel, and sticky buns pulled from the over. The expected heat from the higher proof just isn’t there. The Mezcal somehow melts in your mouth, smooth and with hints of orange rind and brown sugar. The finish lingers pleasantly for a few seconds before before fading and leaving you wanting more. Time and time again, in tastings with friends or on my own, this was the one I kept going back to.

Incredible mezcal! This one is more advanced, and for special occasions when you want to blow someone away with the increíble complexity. Sensational!
The aroma starts with light perfume/floral, some charred pine, rock and tart lime. One of the best aromas in an agave spirit.
Taste is magnificent with dark earth, mint, spicy pine needles and red hot candy sizzle.
The finish is good and long, although slightly bitter and finishes with light sweetness.
The 56.1 % abv is barely noticed behind all of the sensational aromas and flavors. Más por favor!

ILD-JAB-001

The nose smells like my boots after a walk in the chaparral; sage and lemon verbena with an undertone of earth and leather. Soft initial flavors of sandalwood, incense, and very perfumey. Those then dissipate as a more assertive lingering finish comes on. Much sterner flavors to my tongue; menthol, woody, and a metallic note that made me think of drinking water out of a metal canteen when I was younger.

Very complex; it’s hard to pin this one down because there’s so much going on…in a good way.

ILD-JAB-001. Even after all these years I never cease to be amazed by the seemingly infinite range of flavors that can come out of Agave. This is an incredibly complex Mezcal and tastes nothing like any other Jabali I’ve tasted before. This Mezcal is intensely aromatic, both in smell and in taste. I taste a ton of wood flavors. Somehow this tastes like an Armagnac that had rested in new oak for decades until it became sharply tannic and then reduced until it was highly concentrated. Wow!! These aren’t actually my favorite flavors and I doubt I’ll finish this one quickly but it’s so complex and interesting that I’m glad I have it. Also I can totally see myself growing to love this. Besides the Armagnac notes I get pine cleaner, sandalwood, menthol, new car smell, oak tannins, vinyl upholstery, fabric softener, and dried oregano. I freaking love the Maguey Melate Mezcal Club, keep these unique Mezcals coming!!!

Batch ILD-JAB-001. Highly floral on the nose. Aromas of coconut, rose water, cloves, vanilla, oranges, baked goods, and jasmine. There’s also this masculine undertone to the nose, smelling like a fresh aftershave. The nose on this is fantastic, ever-evolving, and robust. The palate is a bit vegetative, a little woody, and slightly caramelized. Notes of toasted fennel, honey, butterscotch, brown sugar, green tea, eucalyptus, green pepper, and cedar. This is the most dynamic Jabali I’ve tasted in a very long time (if not ever). This is also much more mellow than the 56.8% ABV had me expecting, but I also generally love +50% mezcal. This is absolutely phenomenal.