Recent reviews

I was really pleasantly surprised by this spirit. A little bit of smoke on the nose, but on the palate a nice black pepper, piñon, pineapple– kind of reminded me of white gravy, but obviously a lot lighter. A great starter Mezcal.

loved this. first tried at mexico in a bottle sf 2023 and then polished off a bottle from a bar in monterrey mx.
48.8% abv bottle# 35 /160. cant tell the lote number it was smudged off. my eyes are out for agave scabra!

Rodrigo Martínez Méndez
batch ROD-PEC-002, bottle 511. 300 liters, May 2024, 49% abv
aroma: fruits, anise, fresh n fruity, bubble gum, tropical candy
palette: more fruits, sweet anise, cinnamon, marzipan, banana, lots of orange peel

Refugia “Cuca” Cortés Ramos & Rodrigo Cortés Santos – Espadin gusano
batch REF-ESP-001, bottle 404. 240 Liters, August 2023, 47% abv
aroma: very distinctive smell. call me crazy but Im getting some mango distillate aroma on this! I gave this a few tastes spaced over about 2wks and while very curious I wasnt enthralled on first try, however, it has grown on me. Im getting a raw sugar banana bread thing going on. sawdust.
palette: green mango, sweet yet tart, notes as if there was an aged wood influence (but we know its not). candied gusano JK! I dont know what that tastes like. fresh floral herbs at finish. overall the flavors linger long. love the idea and process for this one!

Also sampled at Tre Dita. Had two pours of this and really liked it! Lemony and this one had a clear flavor profile from Miahuatlan. Kind of like lemon and strawberries and cream with a nice level of smoke within there, too. I’m not always the type to reach for Tobala but I really like everything I’ve had from Gusto Historico as a brand and this is no different!

Sampled this at Tre Dita in Chicago– solid restaurant but high priced pours– and was surprised to see this in the spirits list. I was also surprised to read that this was produced in Miahuatlan as the flavor profile didn’t feel consistent with the refrescador distillation. BUT I was also kinda turnt so maybe my memory is a bit hazy lol this was solid pour though, very fruity compared to many other Tobaziches I’ve had. Lots of tropical fruit and the signature grassiness of karwinskii. A nice aftertaste that lingers for a bit! Wouldn’t buy a bottle of this but didn’t mind drinking it and eating pasta!

Review for the two different bottles, from two different regions.
Batch JAJA0524-1 from Sola de Vega
48.3% abv
I’d give this one 4 stars, possibly a bump down to 3.5 but I always tend to round up 🙂 definitely a bit of various spices on the palette here. A bit dark in terms of vibe when I sip this, like I get from other expressions from Sola de Vega. I think some others mentioned pumpkin in here and I get a little bit of that as well. I don’t tend to gravitate towards mezcals from this region and I wouldn’t guess blindly that this was Jabali. Reminds me a lot of the flavor profile of the Mezcalero Arroqueno from this region. Good stuff but I like the other batch of jabali better… see below.

Batch JAJA0524-2 from Chichicapam
48.3% abv
I’d rate this 4.5 stars. I really love the flavor profile of expressions from Chichicapam. Such an earthy chocolate underlying flavor that carries throughout and the clay pot texture really makes this nice. I think this tastes a bit more like a Jabali than the other from SDV. A bit of the soapy, sour flavor peeks through but this is a darker jabali than what I’m used to and I really really enjoyed it!

Batch: JAC00524 ABV: 48.8%

Nose: brown sugar, dusty stone, cumin, cinnamon, dried plums

Palate and Finish: spicy grilled chilis, mineral clay, caramel latte, spiced coconut milk. Finish is more spice, coconut, some chocolate, almost like spiced Nutella

I like this one. It delivers in the way I love Coyote to. If you enjoy a little spice you will like that element as well. One of the other reviews mentioned peated scotch and wow does that hit home for me on this one. I think that may actually be a better way to describe the spice I mention. Cool stuff

Had this as part of a large Venenosa sample so hard to properly judge, but I remember enjoying it and that it was fruity. Would definitely try again.

Very surprising to me for an Inaquidens! Cheesy but not so sour, and vegetal. I liked it.

Edition “S”

Smells like espadin. Smokey.
Taste is smoke, some rubber, medicinal flavor. Not so great for me.

Edition 29

Classic Cenizo flavors and smells. Gray. Wild. Delicious. Probably the best Cenizo that I’ve had.

This is the new 2024 version labeled as Agave Maximiliana – Maguey Lechuguilla

Nose: Meaty. Cat food!?
Palate. Fried chicken! Lots of black pepper spice and French fries. Pretty tasty.

Chalky and cheesy. Like drinking Swiss cheese. Not bad, but not really my style either.

Lot JF-CEN-01 ABV: 46.02%

Nose: pie crust, sweet potatoes, subtle baking spices, sticky toffee, all with a sort of underlying grilled vegetable element

Palate: more sweet potato, red apple, sugared pineapple, candied pecans, ginger. Finish is nice cinnamon, brown sugar, a bit charred veggies and peppers.

Love this. It started as a four but as I sipped it felt more and more like a 4.5. I just love the savory and baking spice elements combined with candied fruits or nuts. Good stuff

**Tried a few pours at Bowl of Zole & the Cabinet Mezcal Bar**
I am a huge fan of Jorge Torres’ mezcales. The aroma is nutty, hints of olive juice and sweet agave. Palette is similar to the aroma with hazelnut, olive brine, overripe banana, and some light smoke with a soft finish. There is an accompaniment of Cenizo funk coming from the pulque, but it’s nothing like a Durango Cenizo. All his expressions are my new go-to’s.

ABV: 48.8% Batch: JATM0524

Lot of Tepextate aromas on the nose, green and the smell of fresh cut pencas or aloe. Some smoke as well.

Flavors up front are more Mexicano driven: dry, earthy, and tart. Back end has some floral, acetone, rubber, and char. Tepeztate gets lost a little but some faint green pepper and wet earth notes. A bit of a miss for me.

going with the 4.5 star overall for 2 batches.

Batch JAJA0524-2 Agaves from Chichicapam
48.3% abv
aroma: prunes, wood, venison, cranberry, sea salt water, pickle water.
palette: flash of brown sugar, baking spices, fresh basil or thyme(?), green olive, clay
4.25 stars

Batch JAJA0524-1. Agaves from Sola de Vega
48.3% abv
aroma: spiced, cooked dark cherry fruit. earthy woody fruity sweet. ashy leather.
palette: roasted agave, molasses, clove, banana, custard, nice long finish. juniper. there’s a fresh minty like note in there as well. the clay is present.
4.5 stars

48.5% abv Batch: JAMC0524. Two ounce sample

Clean nose, funnel cake with whipped cream and strawberries,

Drying mouthfeel, tart fruit flavors, minerality, and mild astringency. Not as aromatic or flavorful as the regular Mexicano, but solid overall.

48.5%. Batch JAMC0524
Aroma: Im getting rubbing alcohol..pomegranate, citrus like a bitter lime or lemon scent. shoe polish. bicycle tire.
Palette: petrol, stone minerals, dry burnt hay, artificial grape soda and concentrated fruit finish. I came back to this with a new pour and surprising improvement, finding it to have settled and getting a sweet roast agave.