Lot 26, bottle 55 of 150, 41.5% ABV.

Expectations were high — the price, the rarity, the reviews full of superlatives… I bought it weeks ahead of my birthday and then waited for then to try it which built things up too. Incredible nose, but the palate? Honestly, a bit of a disappointment. Not that it’s horrible, it’s funky and interestingly different compared to other agave spirits I’ve tried. Lots of forest aromas and tastes — pine, cedar, juniper etc. and that distinctively funky raicilla flavor which I’m still not sure about. Maybe just not my jam, maybe I need more of them… Beyond the forest flavors I didn’t get a lot else beyond some sweetness. After some weeks even the forest notes calmed down. Glad I tried it but not at all sure it’s what I would buy again at this price point.

UPDATE: 6 weeks later. Wow it tastes good now and/or my brain has caught up with my taste buds and is appreciating this. The forest has calmed down even further and now it seems sweet, rich, complex and balanced. Would actually buy another bottle after all, just might open and then leave it alone for a bit.

Lost notes on batch number etc., but this is probably the nicest arroqueno I’ve had. Love what the clay distillation seems to bring to it.

Batch TP ME 01, 2017. Sampled at a tasting along with the other three from Tio Pesca and immediately bought a bottle. In fairness they are all good, but this has a certain something that I really like. Saw someone else mention an affinity for Sola de Vega and perhaps that is it as a couple others I’ve really enjoyed in the past are from that same region too.

Lot 46 from December 2022.

Different, interesting and pretty tasty. On the nose I get apple cider vinegar, but on the palate it’s more like preserved Moroccan lemons, then a kick of tart lime before the sweetness comes through. There’s also an interesting kind of tingle on your tongue. Well worth trying.

Also, you cannot but be intrigued by the note above that reads: “Rumor has it that Don Ruben discovered chemical compounds in the agave Maximiliana that are outside of what is regularly seen in the agave family, and that these compounds have strong therapeutic and health benefits. Some attribute this Raicilla to Don Ruben’s ability to have 17 children, all of them female.”

Edition 3 / LOT DVCES-19 / bottle 880 of 2080.

Had high expectations given reviews and the very $$$$ price for a 375ml bottle. Sadly it never really did it for me. It’s interesting. Just not “OMG gotta buy more” for me. As at least one other person has said, never would have pegged this as an espadin if it didn’t say so on the bottle. Not a lot on the nose but first taste is massively fruity, and in fact some kind of tropical fruit that I can’t quite identify. Not hot, not smoky. Short finish. Mouthfeel seemed a little thin to me. Worth trying as it’s quite different and very interesting, but for me personally, not my jam.

UPDATED REVIEW MID DEC 23:
Bonkers, but it’s finally turned into one of the tastiest mezcals I’ve ever had. Now I need another bottle…

UPDATED REVIEW LATE NOV 23:
What a difference a month makes. And maybe some air. The cork this bottle came with broke on its first outing so it’s been sitting there with an impromptu seal of aluminum foil. Decided to pull it off the shelf and give it another go. All that rancid brine flavor has dissipated and it’s now a decent tasting mezcal. IDK if it’s a 4 star plus mezcal, but it is, thank goodness, now pleasantly drinkable; definitely 3 stars. Still curious if it was a bad bottle, bad batch or just that this is normal and it needed time. Greatly relieved.

ORIGINAL REVIEW MID OCT 23:
The nastiest > $100 mezcal I’ve ever had. Absolutely gutted I have a bottle of this sitting on the shelf. I can’t even imagine you could hide the foulness in a cocktail.

Given the other reviews being so positive I can only assume that 1) this is just not even remotely close to my jam 2) it’s a very bad no good batch (DRME-12) or 3) something bizarre about this bottle. It’s like salt and vinegar chips mashed up with sour olive brine, a hospital supply room, burnt rubber and god knows what other abominations. Absolutely rank. Bitterly disappointed.

Lot SJR106/22. Fiercely hot and peppery when I first opened the bottle, really not enjoyable at that time. But a month or so later it’s mellowed. Still hot — alcohol burn and peppery spice — but now I can taste other things too. There’s a caramelized sugar aroma and taste, some smoke, and then a little savory to balance it out. All in all it’s pretty pleasant to sip considering its affordable price point. Not complex, not a long finish, but very good value I’d say.

Lot J-08-TE-22

Insanely delicious. Delightful interplay of sweetness, savory astringency and deep, complex flavor. Been on a tepeztate foray lately and drank a flight of Por Lo Bueno, Cuentacuentos (“Serafin”) and this one evening. All are good, but this is head and shoulders above the other two for me. (FWIW the ranking would be Vago > Cuentacuentos > Por Lo Bueno). Pretty amazing how this is 51.6% ABV and yet it’s silky smooth. Looks like this might be a Colorado only release, but if you can score a bottle you will not be disappointed.

Batch/Lote: 01, bottle 540 of 724.

Pretty nice tepextate. A nice light, sweet, fruity nose that immediately made me want to taste it. On the palette it doesn’t disappoint — fruits, caramelized sugar, a balancing hint of earthy cellar and smoke. Short finish though: it tastes delicious and then it’s gone, it doesn’t linger for me.

Drank this solo one time and then alongside the Cuentacuentos Tep from Maximiliano “Serafín” García Gerónimo. The “Serafin”, despite being quite a bit less $$, was giving this a serious run for its money, possibly even besting it if you like a sweeter note.

Lot YJ05-21. Found this in a tall slender 375ml bottle which looks great on the shelf but unlikely to last long. I don’t get a ton on the nose for this, but flavor-wise it delivers earthy, vegetal and herbal with a fairly long, savory finish. A nice minerality with a dry mouthfeel.

By itself I don’t know that I find it that exciting, and I generally like a little more sweetness. But when I drank this and a Vago tepeztate back to back they seemed to compliment each other really nicely and it seemed more enjoyable.

Batch VI/2021.

Didn’t like this too much when I first opened the bottle — seemed all smoke and savory notes with no balancing sweetness. Left alone for a while and now tastes great. It’s still not that sweet, and it’s still pretty smoky. But it’s complex and interesting with many flavor notes in each sip. A seaside tang, vegetal, wet slate, bitter green bell pepper and others. Longer finish. Would buy more.

Batch MGG-16. Very pleasant espadin, improved with a little time / exposure to air. Bit of a short finish but everything else — nose, initial flavor notes and mouthfeel are great.

Batch MGG-21. I haven’t had a ton of tepeztate mezcals, but I’ve had a few, some 2x the price of this, which at $60 left me skeptical would be much good. But it was enthusiastically recommended and I am glad I took that advice. It’s startlingly delicious — really enjoyable balance of sweet and vegetal, fruit and mineral notes.

Was gifted a third of a bottle — which is always nice 🙂 Not sure I’d go out and buy one of my own though. Tastes too much like regular tequila for me. Within the same flight I also tried Siembra Azul tequila which, ironically was more mezcal-like and interesting than this. Going to try it in a marg or paloma, which might be where it shines.

Fruity with a nice sweet/mineral balance. Not too hot or smoky but still fairly assertive. Good value for money.

Interesting and likeable, especially at ~$50/bottle. Nose and flavor are both quite punchy and different for me. Am reminded of Lagrimas de Dolores Marsparillo which is almost 3x the price. It’s not in the same league as that, sadly, but it is a lot of flavor.

Tio Felix. Batch SMS002F/20

Big fan of clay distilled mezcals. Upon initially opening the bottle it was all sharpie pen aromas. Once that calmed down though this was fantastic. Lovely balance between sweet, earthy, mineral, smoky and vegetal notes. Could easily drink too much. Excellent value IMO.

Batch SN11-19. Not my thing I guess. On the nose and palate I get salt, iodine, seaweed. Savory and kinda funky. Needs more sweetness for me. Nice mouthfeel and there is complexity here, I just prefer more fruit, sweetness etc.

UPDATE: some time later… I guess it needed some oxygen. After your bottle had been open a few days it tasted *much* better. Upgrading to 4 stars.

Lot DS011-PC from July 2022

Only my second pechuga (the other being the Erstwhile Bacon Pechuga). I like this a lot better. The Erstwhile seemed to really have an overly rich note like when cooking something in rendered bacon and you leave too much in the pan.

This is cleaner, fruitier and much more drinkable for me. It’s not super complex but it’s not boring but any stretch of the imagination. There’s some sweetness and some heat but it’s nicely balanced.

LOT S-01-ECMB-21

Disappointed. Vago got me into mezcal but this is underwhelming. Hot, bitter, thin. Hoping the bottle will improve with time, otherwise it’s going to make some expensive cocktails.