Real Minero Barril is made using maguey Barril, which makes this mezcal full-bodied with notes of tropical fruit and vanilla.
About this mezcal
Real Minero Barril is made using maguey Barril (Agave karwinskii), which often has other names in communities outside Santa Catarina Minas. The name “barril” comes from how the plant looks as it is somewhat barrel shaped. The Barril makes this mezcal is full-bodied with notes of tropical fruit and vanilla.
Real Minero
Real Minero (previously Mezcal Real Minero) is considered by many to be one of the world’s finest mezcal producers. The Angeles family has been making mezcal for several generations in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca. Their mezcal is made in small clay pot stills, and almost all of it is rested in glass for several months before bottling, giving the mezcal a much softer character. Outside of creating great spirits, they also have one of the largest and most diverse sustainable agave reforestation programs. With the help of the community, they’ve been able to rescue several agave varieties that were previously thought to be extinct. The ABV of each batch may vary slightly, so check your bottle for details.
In 2020, the brand began dropping the word “mezcal” from their labels. The term “traditional” replaces the CRM “ancestral” designation. Shortly thereafter, the brand officially parted ways with the certification process; all future releases will be labeled as “agave spirits” or something similar. Despite the label changes, nothing significant about their production process has changed over years.
Learn more:
- Real Minero agave nursery tour on Mezcal Reviews
- Real Minero palenque tour on Mezcal Reviews
- Listen to Graciela Angeles Carreño talk about her family’s production on the Show De Vie Podcast: Ep 291 – Graciela Angeles Carreño – The Real Thing.
Review this bottle
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Forpowder
122 reviewsBatch DRMB-15 Year 2019 bottle 60/305 50.7% Aromas out of the bottle are chocolate and clay wet rocks simple alcohol. Flavors are similar with chocolate and spices with damp rocks
Imperium
118 reviewsNose of Wet rocks, mineralogy, a water fountain I remember playing around as a youth.
Taste compounds the flavors. A fiesta in my mouth! Delicious and juicy. I see why Real Minero is so sought after.
mt_rainyer
43 reviewsRMB-02 (notes from 2016)
Typically I don’t like bold style flavors, but this is a decent balance. Spicy, earthy, a touch of sweetness, excellent bottle. It only got better overtime bringing out chocolate notes and salinity – reminded me of pig blood in the best way possible.
4.5 stars
RMB-04 (notes from 2018)
Very different bottle, a note that while the other bottle I owned, this I just tasted once. On the acidic side, completely out of whack by comparison. You do get the karwinskii notes (dry lavender, jasmine, etc…), but it feels schemized between that and acid.
3.5 stars
RMB-02 (notes from 2016)
Typically I don’t like bold style flavors, but this is a decent balance. Spicy, earthy, a touch of sweetness, excellent bottle. It only got better overtime bringing out chocolate notes and salinity – reminded me of pig blood in the best way possible.
4.5 stars
RMB-04 (notes from 2018)
Very different bottle, a note that while the other bottle I owned, this I just tasted once. On the acidic side, completely out of whack by comparison. You do get the karwinskii
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsNose – Sweet meaty aromas – Brown sugar and charred pork. Clay.
Palate – Thick and rich! Big time camp fire ember and ash from start to finish (and lingering long thereafter). 7up syrup. Dried cherry. That classic (and delicious) RM clay. A good Minas Barril but quite intense. I’d say this is about a 3.75 stars but will knock it back due to price.
A 2 oz. copita from Piedra Santa in TJ. 🇲🇽
logar
20 reviewsIt has a strong smoky smell and it’s a little bit spicy, with an equally strong flavor. The smoky flavor immediatly passes from the mouth to the nose, with a very penetrating sensation. The flavor, although strong, wears off quickly.
aarild
153 reviewsA somewhat surprising nose with sour yoghurt I’ve never got with other RMs. Also clay, some grass and vanillin. Palate has some vague, nutty karwinskii notes, pineapple, cooked agave, clay and allspice. But it also has some of that lactic sourness too, reminiscent of an Indian lassi drink, a bit like a raicilla. I like funky raicilla, but this was slightly unbalanced and misplaced I was so surprised that I revisited the RM Largo just after and did not get that at all. Otherwise smooth and nice, but something is probably a bit off with the batch.
A somewhat surprising nose with sour yoghurt I’ve never got with other RMs. Also clay, some grass and vanillin. Palate has some vague, nutty karwinskii notes, pineapple, cooked agave, clay and allspice. But it also has some of that lactic sourness too, reminiscent of an Indian lassi drink, a bit like a raicilla. I like funky raicilla, but this was slightly unbalanced and misplaced I was so surprised that I revisited the RM Largo just after and did not get that at all. Otherwise smooth and nic
namespayne
9 reviewsBalance way off. A stray note or two that kind of just runs away. Not sure what it was but something like an acidic, bitter, gaseous note that overwhelmed everything. I didnt’ get the lot#. I ate some grasshoppers with it, and then it tasted just like an olive- for a moment. I think I’ll appreciate espadins more from here on.
Meady
53 reviewsClay nose with vanilla and agave, soft.
Dry earth, clay, wet stone, banana.
Smooth, nice finish, no burn.
TheAuditor
39 reviewsBatch RMB-02 2014 Harvest
Nose: Allspice, Black Pepper, Brown Sugar, light corn sweetness, salted Pork
Palate: Medium mouthfeel, allspice, brown sugar, salted meats, light clay and earth.
Finish: Medium length, allspice, very dry finish, salted meat, light leather, musty corn.
Oh man this was a real treat, so much allspice, slight sweetness, and some salted meats in there make this a real treat. In this I have to give an edge to the father as this batch is right up my alley with these tasting notes.
Batch RMB-02 2014 Harvest
Nose: Allspice, Black Pepper, Brown Sugar, light corn sweetness, salted Pork
Palate: Medium mouthfeel, allspice, brown sugar, salted meats, light clay and earth.
Finish: Medium length, allspice, very dry finish, salted meat, light leather, musty corn.
Oh man this was a real treat, so much allspice, slight sweetness, and some salted meats in there make this a real treat. In this I have to give an edge to the father as this batch is right up my alley with these tasting no
JDB
190 reviewsLot #RMB-04, 2016, bottle 75/165. I believe one of the last distillations from the father, Lorezno. As this bottle has gotten less and less liquid in it, the flavors have gotten more intense and complex (I generally find that to be the case with really great mezcal). Flavors keep changing as well through the tasting, green flavors like grass, bubble gum and cotton candy deep in the palate, hints of banana, floral notes on the nose. Will be so sad when this bottle is finished.
Rakhal
430 reviewsARMB-02. Black pepper, cooked agave, cinnamon, and roasted banana. Good Barril!
Mezcalosaurus
1 reviewDelightful tropical( kiwi and banana) sweetness on the nose.
Peppery finish.
Nic Hnastchenko
109 reviewsSlightly fruity but a nice richness. Beautiful mezcal
Mymic87
13 reviewsNose: really fruity, Strawberries, banana, kiwi, grapes, oranges, cherry, lemon peel, lime juice, jellied sweets, after a few minutes in the glass, it starts to get smokier, with roast agave, baked clay and black pepper,
Palate: Wow! Cooked apples and pears, kiwi, sweet potato, wet grass, green apple peel, wood smoke, elder flower, juniper berries, mossy bark, twigs.
Comments: Top grade stuff, the perfect balance of fruit and smoke!
Joseph
26 reviewsThis is one of my favorite Real Minero mezcals. Super rich and viscous with lots of earth, clay, tobacco, and chocolate, rounded out with loads of roasted agave sweetness. This one keeps me coming back. RMB-05 – 2016 – 50.3%
Jonny
736 reviewsLot RMB-04 from 2016. 52% ABV. Chocolate aromas!!! Lots of dark, rich chocolate on the nose with a bit of blueberry and strawberry. The palate has some clay and nice thickness. It’s really well balanced and full. tastes of sweet potato, banana, and dark chocolate. It seems at times that Real Minero is so far ahead of everything else and this mezcal is no exception. It’s another amazing creation from them. Can’t get enough of it.
Tyler
668 reviewsThis is one of the easier Real Minero mezcals to find in bars and stores. I tasted Lot 5 from 2015 at 50.3% and enjoyed it. There are notes of soft clay, burnt caramelized banana, candied yams, with a tangerine gummy bear bite finish. I also brought back a 275ml bottle from Oaxaca, Lot 4 from 2016. That version was incredibly smooth and dark. It had some rich chocolate notes and the typical floral karwinskii flavors had been overtaken by the richness of other flavors. I enjoy it quite a bit but prefer some of their other releases like the Largo and Tripon over this one.
This is one of the easier Real Minero mezcals to find in bars and stores. I tasted Lot 5 from 2015 at 50.3% and enjoyed it. There are notes of soft clay, burnt caramelized banana, candied yams, with a tangerine gummy bear bite finish. I also brought back a 275ml bottle from Oaxaca, Lot 4 from 2016. That version was incredibly smooth and dark. It had some rich chocolate notes and the typical floral karwinskii flavors had been overtaken by the richness of other flavors. I enjoy it quite a bit but