Edition 13

Nose: Tons of green wood, mint, sage, basil, rosemary, a farmers market full of herbs, some citrus mostly lime, the fruit starts popping a bit after some time but it’s subtle, yuzu, green tea, spiced melon, I could smell this thing forever

Palate & Finish: Oh wow, this is fun. It’s peppery, it’s got tons of potpourri spices like clove ginger and cinnamon, then chili covered mangoes, honey, a honeydew melon element underneath, milk chocolate, much less wood on this than the nose would lead me to think, a little pine but more fruit and spice. Finish is chocolate, espresso, spicy pepper, Mexican hot chocolate, cocoa trails off

Thoughts: Wow, this really nice. Just so much going on and so well put together. It progressively just gets better and better. Love this stuff.

Edition 9

Nose: Mint bubble gum, herbal lemonade, lime, after some time it gets a bit more earth to it, soil, mulch

Palate & Finish: ginger ale, kids peppermint toothpaste (trust me it taste different), starts to become fruitier with juicy fruit gum, figs, there’s a soft pear texture, pear texture, dark plums, cilantro, turmeric. This earthy peanut butter starts out the finish, cinnamon, then its herbal, sage, mineral elements like slate, refreshing mint

Thoughts: Damn, this Jabali is layered and complex. The first time I tried this it felt a little all over the place, but time in glass and trying it on a fresher palate really made the different elements pop. It’s got this unique combination of earthy, herbal, and confectionary fruit that I haven’t had a lot of. Really tasty stuff from Ignacio.

Nose: soft fruits and herbal, juicy pear, slightly stanky cantaloupe, banana, lemongrass, honeysuckle, very delicate

Palate & nose: more of that overripe cantaloupe on front of palate, too soft golden kiwi, rotten banana, apricot jelly, it’s a combination of fruity sweet with slight funk but not overboard, then it all quickly shifts to more bitter and mineral moving into the finish, grapefruit rind, graphite. Finish lets up on the bitterness bringing a slightly chalky mouthfeel, the funky melon banana reappears with a bit of mint and basil influence this time. It’s short here which is really my only knock on this stuff.

I’m a Cupreata lover and this is an example of why. Tons of melon and fruit, a little herbs and minerality. It’s really well balanced with a pretty layer of funk. I struggled with 4 or 4.5 here. It’s good that’s for sure.

Batch: Azul-B02-19 ABV: 48.2%

Nose: Pineapple, tropical fruit, chalky, buttery candy, light glue and acetone, sour brine

Palate: Bitter passion fruit, mangoes, it’s bitter but fruity bitter like grapefruit, then slate and brine. Finish is Light peppers lime, saline, minerals

I agree with those that say this is crushable. Really easy to drink, big pops of fruit with some bitter minerality. Good stuff

Batch: 8M23-A

Nose: This has a nice Cuishe woodiness to it, layered with earth and mossy wood. Mulch, BBQ chips. It’s distinctly clay on the nose to me. Plus this like funky cheesiness, more like manchego

Palate & Finish: Mint chocolate, watermelon rind, light citrus, whipped cocoa, coconut milk, earthy and clay from the clay pot, it has a slight hazelnut cream cheese element, then a little bbq sauce, tangy honey peppers. Finish is white pepper, eucalyptus, holiday spices, and Chile chocolate, espresso. Finish stays forever. Just minty and cocoa like an Andes mint.

This stuff is awesome. Plenty of karwinskii profile going on here but beautifully balanced with clay bringing chocolate and espresso.

Lot 202107, 52% abv

Nose: Pine bark, soil, old book pages,

Palate: Tootsie roll, light chocolate, caramelized fruits I see the peaches others mention, candied walnut, cedar plank. Finish is plums, figs, sage, basil, burnt banana, cherry, and soil.

Unique and tasty stuff! I love how well it combines earth and the fruitiness.

Nose: slightly vegetal and briney, vanilla yogurt, candy cigarettes

Palate: wow, I see what others mean about icing. It’s cinnamon roll with icing, some honeydew melon, candied mangoes, honey spicy peppers, glazed carrots. Early finish has grape juice and then dissipates to rainy asphalt, light mint, tobacco, more icing.

This reminds me of many Cupreatas out there. Really exceptional and less earthy than most arroquenos out there.

Batch 5A-01 47.9%

Nose: Raisins, figs, chocolate mousse transitions to plenty of earthy, mulchy, apple cider vinegar

Palate & Finish: Milk chocolate up front with a little spice, like Mexican Hot Chocolate, figgy jam, peanut butter, dried orange, grilled peppers, mole, there is a slightly acidic note on the back of palate creating some tart raisin and citrus. Finish is peppery, a bit mineral, root beer, soil, that’s where the clay brings some strong earthy notes all with honey overtones.

Clay pot Americana continues to be one of my favorite expressions out there. This is a great example with an emphasis on the chocolatey fig raisins notes. Sad to hear Felix passed so young earlier this year, RIP.

Edition 15, 54%

Nose: Light spice, sea salt, earth, Unami, figs

Palate & Finish: Subtle sweet, light fruits and melons, pink starburst, southern sweet tea, slightly green but not too much. Finish is round tropical fruit, slightly vegetal and wood or soil

Yet another tasty one from EJ.

I believe there is only one batch of this stuff out there. This was the 47.7% batch.

Nose: Very fruity and sweet, almost candy like, mangoes, watermelon, bananas some even rotten, chalk and mineral undertones

Palate: Palate reminds me of some higher ester rums, it’s chalky banana runts and rotten pineapple, a little strawberry, the back of palate has some candy bitterness like sweetness overload and ice cream or frosting, coconut cream. Finish is a little more mineral with hints of herbs like basil and sage, trailing off into a longer more bittersweet, like twizzlers that turns into black licorice is the only way I can describe it

This stuff is awesome and super unique. If I had a mezcal I could show every friend who I want to change their perception of the spirit it would be this one. Just so different and lovely, a cool piece of the mezcal flavor spectrum.

45% ABV batch

Nose: Pine needles, pear, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar, candy, Fanta soda

Palate: Milk chocolate, coconut cream, pinesol, cherry and blue raspberry airhead, minerally and ashy moving into the finish. Finish is mint, rock salt, nice bitter mineral, coffee grounds, cherry

This thing starts out fruity in the nose then quick moves to more mineral and chocolate. Really nice. I think I prefer the Ramos slightly over this one but both are awesome Madrecuixe

Batch ARPTP D6-22 ABV: 48.16%

Nose: Beef jerky, soil, mulch, compost, black truffle, figs, carnitas, grilled pineapple

Palate & Finish: BBQ sauce, jerk chicken, green onion, cream cheese, fried green plaintains (tostones), crispy sweet potatoes, figs, Greek yogurt on the back end as that soft clay sets in. Finish is plenty of clay, rubber, wet soil, vinegar bbq sauce, cumin, thyme

This is awesome. I really enjoy Americana but particularly when done in clay. Great stuff

49.1% ABV sample

Nose: slight cheese and feta, melon, fresh wild lavender, honeysuckle

Palate and finish: excellent honeydew and cantaloupe, nice soft chalky mouthfeel, some menthol and sage. Moving into the finish some savory elements come in, earth, menthol, that milk chocolate others reference, slight bitter mineral and rock.

Not overly complicated but just all around a solid pour. Really good stuff.

43.2% 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!

Nose: Super Floral. Honeysuckle, Frosting, some lime and leather on the back end

Palate and finish: round fruity, apple pie, mango, orange creamsicle, coconut, some tropical fruit. Finish leads into light pepper and ash, minerality, and a bit of basil or mint

Overall this is super approachable and awesome. Tons of fruit, round mouthfeel. I dig it

2017 Batch 16. 48%

Nose: Lime, briney earth, some
Frosting

Palate and Finish : honeyed peppers, lime, cilantro, grilled carrots, little mint as we move into the finish. Plenty of grapefruit.

Overall a really approachable and well integrated Tep. EJ just works for me

Batch PRES22 – Released in DC Market. ABV 48.9%

Nose: Nose is wild, super vegetal and grassy, plenty of mesquite, also this like almost medicinal note, it takes up the whole room, lumber department of home depot

Palate & Finish: Burger covered in stone ground mustard, savory but slightly sweet, the sweetness is tangy and citrus, cedar plank salmon skin, grilled peppers on a wood skewer, it’s sweet but not super fruity, soft mango and guava for a split second before going back to wood and herbs, grilled carrots and corn. Finish is smoky, burnt peppers, light honey, the medicinal element is back but more mineral water like this time. It’s like a popsicle stick, natural (herbal) cough syrup, then basil and sage blast

Overall: Like many unique mezcals it’s uniqueness starts to draw you in and tough to rate. It’s got so much going on and so much complexity. It also beautifully ties together it’s different elements to make the whole. Great stuff.

VOL 5G

Nose: Pine, tar, ash, slightly herbal like Tzaziki, honeysuckle, yogurt, sour cream, brine, vanilla Danimals yogurt immediately, yuzu

Palate: Brined dark fruits like plums or cherries and lemons, Mexican crema with cumin and lemon juice, it’s sweet tart and lemon but gritty and sandy, dirty and earthy, like tart sour lactose on the front moving into dirt and dark chocolate or espresso, tons of mint moving into the back. Finish is tons of mint, earthy espresso, gravel, savory in a softer and more earthy way, slightly sour, but I get the after taste of black coffee after a minute

Really good first experience with Chacolo for me. Plenty of complexity and adventure to be had in every pour. Something about it’s profile draws me in

Nose: Tar, asphalt, sea salt, mesquite, charred veggies, so many veggies, particularly fresh peppers, under that is something more tangy, like balsamic vinaigrette or apple cider vinegar, kind of has karwinskii wood vibes

Palate and Finish: Wow, I love this palate, it’s pineapple, tart mango yogurt, kiwi, honey, then it quickly switches more meat, leathery, flank steak, after some air there’s like a cream cheese element to it I love. Finish is Finish is on the short side, it’s char, slightly oaky and brine, grilled meat, jerky.

Really nice and plenty of layers. Nose is more industrial and gives me elements of karwinskii wood. Palate and finish are fruit pop turned to savory quickly. Fun mezcal and really unique.

Nose: Earthy, slightly musty, soil, potting soil, slightly herbal and peppery

Palate & Finish: Nuts, fig, chocolate covered raisins, mushrooms, candies pecans, pipe tobacco, grilled carrots, spiced black beans, s’mores. Finish is caramel, blonde coffee, leather, light tobacco, slightly oaky and minty, it’s like an Andies mint on mute

If I had to give this a mezcal a mood it would be dark and brooding. It’s earthy and savory with some spice on the side. I understand why others may not enjoy this but I’m loving it the more sessions I have with it. Really solid