Nose: lemon lime, oranges, salt water, pickled mangoes, cucumber, bell peppers

Palate and finish: great continuation of the nose to the palate. Plenty of mango fruits, kiwi, mandarin oranges, as it moves to the finish it’s got a more vegetal with a sort earthy and woody element to it. The woody part is an aspect I haven’t experienced much. This leads to a a bitter grapefruit and green banana finish.

It’s unique but not in a way that isn’t easy to drink. Really good stuff and well done by Cuca and Rodrigo

Batch JAT00524 ABV: 48.5%

Nose: tennis balls, at first the typical Tobala fruit, underripe mango, kiwi skins, plenty of clay on this, some lemon lime elements

Palate and Finish: nice minerality and clay, mulch, a bit of fruit stew, this feels so tight, it feels like there is tons of flavor packed in I can’t get to, finish is figs, plum, a bit of clay.

There is nothing wrong with this one but it just doesn’t stand out for me.

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

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

Nose: mmm plenty of fruit, lemon, pineapple, kiwi, lime, some yogurt, a bit of cheese. Really nice nose

Palate & Finish: continues into the palate. More sugared lemon, pineapple, sweet kiwi, salted melon, so much confectionery fruit. This is awesome. Moving into the finish is cheesy Parmesan, some menthol, Jalapeno peppers, mouth drying citrus

This is excellent stuff as Id expect from Delfino

Batch JAMC0524. ABV 48.5%

Nose: heavy clay influence, mulch, wet dirt, dried strawberries, I see the acetone others mention

Palate & Finish: lighter on front of palate than I expected. Some berries, sweet bell peppers, apples, mango. As we move into the finish, I get fig jam, red wine, a bit of clay, finish is spearmint, pineapple, slightly more fruity than I expected, caramel latte

This is great. Not like typical Mexicano for me but nice and fruity. Great batch

Nose: this is unique for sure. Subtle herbal cheese, almost like Boursin, some nice floral elements, lavender, cream cheese, sesame seeds, vanilla beans, olive oil, such a subtle and delicate nose. Lovely stuff

Palate and finish: a clean entry of fresh bell peppers and cilantro cream cheese, the mouth feel is clean and herbal, mint, some basil, there’s some lemon and lime as you move toward the finish. Finish starts sort of sour with plenty of citrus, nice minerality sits with you for a while then grapefruit rind.

I think those who enjoy citrusy cheesy notes will love this. This is good for me but not my favorite profile The nose is terrific but palate almost too clean and straight to the point without the layers I hoped for.

Batch JATM0524 ABV 48.8%

Nose: nice and earthy, chocolate powder, cumin, tobacco, coffee grounds, a bit of tried leaves

Palate: continues on the palate, chocolate chest pie, almonds, espresso, I get a little pear and red fruits, some lighter notes as it sits but it remains earthy in an awesome way. Finish is burnt ends. Some herbs like sage and rosemary, a bit of raisin

This is terrific. What a well done profile, earthy yet balanced and slightly fruity. I love this

Lot 03-22

Nose: nice citrus, honeydew, stewed fruits, peach, mango, damn this is fruity and good. Reminds me of apricot cheese from Trader Joe’s. Slightly cheesy a bit of spearmint and basil

Palate & Finish: fruits continue. Stewed mango, funky honeydew, some slate, nice leatheriness and limeade as it moves into the finish. Finish is pickled peppers, a bit of spearmint and basil like the nose.

This is absolutely terrific. If blind I’d probably not guess it’s Azul although it does draw some parallels to the Defino batch from a few years ago. So much wonderful fruit notes with a great mouthfeel. Love it

Batch JAENCO524 ABV 48.4%

Nose: you get the cacao, a bit of mint, mesquite, vanilla, coffee

Palate & Finish: creamy on the front, some vanilla, chocolate, spiced hot chocolate, jalapeños moving into the finish. Finish is pretty mesquite heavy with coffee, more cacao, reminds me of scotch as the smoke and black pepper sits with you.

This is interesting but I find I enjoy José Alberto’s other expressions a bit better. Just so peppery I have trouble getting deeper into other notes.

Batch BF-WHE-03. ABV: 49.78

Nose: wow! I feel like I’m sniffing fresh cut pine, air freshener, pine needles, love Tyler’s natural Vicks note, as it settles I get some citrus underneath, more tangerine. So far this gives me Karwinskii vibes.

Palate and Finish: whoa, this is strange. It’s like bitter orange juice, then camphor, pencil eraser, dish soap, this very weird for me. Almost like scented shampoo. Some menthol. The finish is bitter citrus and more soapy elements.

Curious if others like this. I appreciate it but it’s not really my style. The nose was really nice so I can’t knock it too low.

Nose: my brain immediately thought clay distilled, you get some nice earthiness, cola, cumin, cocoa, a bit grassy

Palate and Finish: nice fruity front of palate. I get orange, ripe mangoes, chili spiced apples, as you move to the finish it gets more savory. Like roasted veggies, malty Octoberfest beer, dark cacao but not full on chocolate.

Maybe it’s because I’m sitting outside on a gorgeous fall Carolina day but damn does this flavor profile remind me of fall. It’s sweet and fruity yet savory and veggie. I’m tempted to just drink this whole sample in one sitting. Really good!

Batch: JF-WHE-01 47.39%

Nose: wet soil, mulch, figs, underneath I get subtle overripe fruits, mushed banana, herbal elements like rosemary

Palate and Finish: palate is nice. Fruitier than I expect from Sotol. Tart mango, pineapple, a bit of tangerine. As the pour goes on it transitions to more grapefruit. Moving into the finish is tons of minerality, graphite, pebbles, peppers, and spearmint. This really nice grapefruit bitter element sits with you for a while.

This is really good. I love the fruity palate, something I haven’t really gotten in my limited sotol experience. Balanced, interesting and just tasty

This is Batch JAJ524-1. ABV 48.3%

Nose: So much clay on the nose, play doh, sunflower seeds, pumpkin paste, it’s slightly savory, some herbal elements, if I closed my eyes it reminds me of some aged spirits, the edges are softened

Palate and Finish: Yeah this is great. Cumin, mole, spiced plum, fig, really interesting. Tons of “warm spices” like others have mentioned. Sweet potatoes. Moving into the finish is slightly herbal, more play doh. Some sage and rosemary.

Lovely mezcal from Jose Alberto. The Jabali and clay play so nicely together. It’s got great mouthfeel and depth. Just solid stuff. 4/5 stars

Second batch is JAJ524-2. ABV 48.3%

Nose: lovely pine and citrus, I get that play doh note again but less savory notes than the other one. There’s acrylic paint and a bit of mesquite

Palate and finish: tart mangoes, kiwi, lemon, then it moves into more minerality, mulch, a bit of chocolate and espresso. Finish is mostly dark and desserty, cocoa, coconut, and dark chocolate sits on the palate.

Wild how different these are. I slightly prefer the Sola one I reviewed first but this is still great stuff. Great batches from Jose here. 3.75/5

Batch TICUAMA10-22

Nose: completely agree with Jonny. This one is tough. Nose is tons of farmyard, more figs, maybe some soy, savory earth. You definitely get the rawhide ferment and clay distillation here

Palate and Finish: charred citrus, chile mangoes, balsamic, I can see the eucalyptus and apricot Jonny mentions but don’t get as many meaty elements on this one. It’s fruity and earthy. Finish is espresso and cacao, mole and chile covered peppers.

It takes a second to adapt to it but I really enjoy this. I’d describe it as a mood pour but a damn good one. Cool stuff

Batch MXANRMZ14 from third edition

Nose: red clay, mulch, plenty of minerality. Definitely on the earthy wet side of things. Dried figs, spearmint

Palate and finish: oh palate is lighter than I expected. Chile covered peppers, mole, a bit of grapefruit, definitely dark and earthy reminds me of burnt brisket. Finish is charred fruit and beef. A bit of cocoa and some nice spice that sits with you. Maybe even some mint

I dig this but nothing mind blowing here. It lands where a lot of Mexicano lands for me. Good and consistent.

2022

Nose: piney, citrus, some herbal elements, maybe a bit of mulch, typical karwinskii for me

Palate: sugared citrus, lemon, tart mango, herbal, lemongrass, candied ginger, moving into the finish I get white pepper, bell peppers, and a leathery

Overall very good and at the price point I usually see it at I’d say it’s a great introduction to karwinksii. Just solid and balanced

51.1% abv batch so probably same as Jam

Nose: citrus mainly lemon lime, slightly floral, lemongrass, briney, some stone minerality

Palate & Finish: a little more going on than nose lets on. Nice lemon lime, chalky texture, sweetness that reminds me of Gatorade, tart kiwi, cake icing and menthol moving into the finish. Finish is more minerality, stone, sweet bell pepper

I like this a lot. It’s not super complex but consistent with minerality and citrus fruit from start to finish. Really easy going and agreeable Tequilero

Lot VR.08.21.TB, 48.4% abv

Nose: tons of floral for me, roses, eucalyptus, then bubble gum, melon, floral fruity combo

Palate and Finish: wow, this is terrific. Bubble gum continues. Banana, overripe watermelon, fruity candy, dried mangoes moving into the finish. The finish brings fruit leather, minerality, gravel, a bit of tangy citrus, and finally some mint but not overly so.

This is terrific and might be my favorite Tobala I have tried to date. It’s a killer combo of fruit, floral, and minerality on the finish. Well done by Victor

Nose: Stewed fruits, boiled plantains, a bit of mango, it’s got a little funk going and my brain keeps thinking “swampy” because the label says swamp water is a water source. As it sits I get some nice baking spices, cinnamon, clove, orange this is almost Sangria like.

Palate: Fruits jump to the front before the baking spice party. Mango and pineapple but the flavor isnt sharp and more muted. Then the baking spices come in, cinnamon, clove, ginger, lots of ginger. Moving into the finish I get plenty of minerality, slate and jalapeno to lead out. Maybe even a bit of spicy ginger.

The more I drink this the more I enjoy it. It’s solid and as a first experience with Bacanora brings a little more to the table than I expected. I can see some people really loving this. I dont love the finish but wonder if more time spent with it that might change. I’ll update here if so.