Chacolo Presa Grande lote 002 january 2020 (47.1%)

nose: super bright cherry limeade, gingerbread, engine oil, roasted turnips, soft floral pears, bit of roasted guava, raita

palate: a glistening acidity balanced with rich holiday sweetness – allspice figs and rich chestnuts, pink lemonade, very mild creamy cheese

mouthfeel is lovely, finish hangs for days. 9/10 straight money.

NETA Ranulfo Garcia Pacheco Madrecuixe Espadin (47%)

batch: ENSRAN2006

nose: quite lactic, butter, buttercream, pancakes, maybe ricotta, sweet apricots, figs, dates, super rich enticing nose, lemon zest, blueberry cheesecake

palate: rye bread croissant, just luxurious buttery goodness, baking spices, finishes more herbal, with a touch of berry acidity

10/10 ranulfo is a king

Almamezcalera Oaxaca Tobaxiche (58%) (tasted blind)

lot: lote 5 (march 2018)

nose: quite floral, honeydew, juniper, honey, pink lemonade, apricot, lemongrass, creamy cashews

palate: hazelnuts, guava, milky oolong, a subdued florality, finishes is huge mostly nuts and florals

definitely copper, my gut is saying don valente on the nose, but something about this palate feels pretty aquilino. remarkably full mouthfeel, very expressive. it’s less nutty than the aquilino espadins i’ve had. 8+/10

guess: aquilino ensamble? maybe espadin + karwinskii around 51% abv. i’m guessing 2013 batch.

reveal: almamezcalera oaxaca tobaxiche apolonio ramirez cruz lote 5 (march 2018)

Vago Aquilino Garcia Lopez Sierra Negra – Tepeztate (51/49) (51.6%)

batch: October 2014

nose: creamy fruits – strawberries, peach rings, sharp green peppers, candy-like with an herbal-vegetal edge

palate: deeply nutty, creamy dates, roasted sweet potatoes, turns pine firs and green peppers toward the end

almost tastes clay distilled in flavor, quite a heavy distillate for aquilino. this is tasty but perhaps a bit prickly for me. i’d have liked to see more of that bright fruitiness on the palate. lovely nose. 7+/10

Lamata Ensamble Oaxaca (Madrecuixe, Bicuixe, Espadin) (49%)

Mezcalero: Sozimo Jarquin

Batch: ENS-J 5/1/2016

nose: somewhat dank, preserved lemons, kiwi, chile de arbol, roasted cauliflower, honey, a sweet earthiness, orchids, chamomile

palate: such a rich syrupy chamomile and turnip sweetness, acids ride on top – rainier cherries, honeycrisp apples, some of those peppers toward the tail end

finish: magnificent, a ripe peach and pear burst with pecans and nutmeg initially – with time it turns to roasted turnips and white nectarines and rich vanilla, goes for ages

really marvelous nose. one of my favorites i’ve ever encountered. really explosive on the palate and a lingering finish that changes quite a bit as it progresses. 9/10. damn near a 10.

Lamata Tepemete (52%)

Mezcalero: Federico de la Cruz

Batch: TEP-C 12/1/2020

nose: dark fragrant spices, cinnamon, fennel, ripe jackfruit, clove, pear, dates, hint of papaya

palate: oh it’s those same dark spices wrapped up in this juicy apricot explosion. i would drink this forever, beautiful nutty sweetness, fr if anyone knows where to buy a bottle of this hit me up

this is absolutely delicious. almost don’t want to take notes. i struggle to find a fault. 10/10

La Medida Madrecuishe (46.35%)

Mezcalero: Antonio Cortes Aragon

Batch: MIA M1903-US

nose: watermelon, florals, persimmon, harissa, turnips, a bit buttery, pears,

palate: finishes earthy, intensely floral, vanilla, orange liqueur

very solid perhaps a bit overwhelmingly floral for me. really lovely juicy thick mouthfeel. I like this quite a lot but it leans pretty heavily in that direction. 7+/10

tasted blind

nose: anise, very nutty, root beer, grape jam

palate: root beer, coca cola, vanilla, blueberry, some brightness on the finish.

very unctuous, dark, sweet, lovely. probably an 8+ for me. not too complex but really hits all my buttons otherwise.

guess: I think it’s like a 50% puebla mezcal some kind of clay. espadin/espadilla?

reveal: Rezpiral Espadin con Pechuga de Conejo Series 2 (2017) (46%) by Leonardo

wow missed that one by a bit. at least I got the agave right. I consistently guess pechugas are clay distilled. definitely my favorite rezpiral so far

Rayo Seco Israel Apolinar Sacatoro (52%)
Lot 202105

nose: quite earthy, white nectarines, parsley, turnips, harissa, ancho chilies, creamy rosemary, white pepper, graham crackers

palate: green grapes, honeydew, creamy, arugula, kale, chocolate malt on the finish,

this smells lovely. very wet, silky mouthfeel. this is really quite good. some clay vibes. really tasty. 8/10

Mal Bien Javier Barranca Zacatoro (48.8%)

batch: 0321JB

nose: cola, intense!, creamy, dark, those creamy mint things, york peppermint patty vibe

palate: dr pepper, chinese medicine, persimmon, prunes, guava, strawberry chocolates, a bit too tannic on the finish

nose reminds me quite a bit of the agave mixtape javier papalote batch. tasty! 7/10

Maguey Melate Sergio Martinez Rodriguez Chuparrosa (49%)
SER-CHU-001

nose: polenta cake, hazelnut cream, lysol – kinda intense, stewed apples, thin mints, piney

palate: woody, chestnuts, honey toast, pears, finishes in heavy pine

much better than what i expected given impressions on the previous chuparrosa batch. 5/10. pretty enjoyable in spots but the flaw are similarly pronounced. honestly the beginning of the palate is quite pleasant but the finish and nose leave much to be desired.

El Jolgorio Madrecuishe – Tio Pedro Vasquez (48%)

edition: 19 (alamo city liquor pick)

nose: very floral, wet, big guava, buttery pancakes, honeycomb, bit of bubblegum, birch syrup

palate: big chewy guava, bit of bubblegum, transitions into this delicious peach candy note and pirouettes (the cookie)

lovely soft spirit. really a delicious if a bit simple dessert pour. really fantastic mouthfeel. 8/10

note: i know it’s hard to separate batches individually, but I think at the very least we ought to find some way to differentiate by mezcalero. There’s just no way el jolgorio madrecuishe tastes the same across four mezcaleros.

La Locura Cuishe Espadin Agave Mixtape #4 (47.7%)

nose: kumquats, very earthy, sage, papaya, matcha, cola, hint of soy sauce, milk candies, grilled eggplant

palate: vanilla, very earthy like clay, dried apricots, somewhat dark and rich overall

finish: cinnamon sticks, pecans, rye bread, faint creamsicle

this is more engaging than most lalo stuff. a little hot for me, but a really nice finish. not among my favorite producers, but this is one of the best batches I’ve had from him. 7/10

cinco sentidos mixteca vol 2 espadillon (49.54%)
lot: LLON05-21

nose: root beer, mascarpone, pancakes

palate: root beer, creamy, THICK, blueberries, pear, milk chocolate

finish: huge root beer, earthy, milk chocolate, a touch of menthol

god this is fine. 10. edit: overreacted a hair. 9.

5 Sentidos Anatolio Ramirez De Horno (a. Americana) (49.05%)
batch: HORNO14

nose: rich, hay, molasses, peanut butter, faint root beer, roasted carrots, beets, fluoride tablets, white tea, chainsaw oil, habanero

palate: bitter, industrial flavors, hazelnuts, very oily mouthfeel, habanero flavor (no spice), pesto

palate is very weak both in terms of complexity and profile. pretty basic, but lovely mouthfeel. I do really like the nose. between a 5+ and 6- for me but i’m leanin 6-

Mezcalosfera Ageo Cortes Tobala (48.38%)

Lot: 06USA-19

nose: funky rotting fruits, sharpies, guava, dusty basement, bit of cotton candy, grape jolly rancher (i like them i know a lot don’t), pecan wood, sharp bell pepper, juicy fruit gum

palate: nutty, dryer sheets, quite big, juicy fruit gum, baking apples, finish hangs in cajeta chocolate tobacco realm and takes its time

I’m reviewing this bottle at about a quarter remaining, and I feel it changed quite a bit as I progressed through it. definitely preferred it in its first half to its current state. more funky fruits, more bombastic generally, and I recall no impression of dryer sheets or sharpies. also tasted in the wake of that mal bien ageo verde which is just… that’s a tough act to follow man. a bit of that drying finish here. this one’s quite unique and idk if my review does it justice really. 6/10 for me right now though I do recall thinking it pretty great earlier on.

Mal Bien Ageo Cortes Verde (49.74%)

Lot: 1118AC

nose: cantaloupe, harissa, big red soda, aleppo pepper, buttery cooked turnips, kiwi, white tea, river greens, roasted poblanos, matcha, if a bell pepper vinaigrette exists…, with time mint comes out

palate: bright lime explosion followed by all the dark nuts, tobaccos, teas i love to find in agave, layered and lingers for ages, reminds me a bit of a malty beer, all softened with a surrounding creamsicle and fruity jelly beans sweetness, with air time i get stewed tomatoes and cumin

that has to be one of the best noses I’ve ever smelled on a rhodacantha. tons of complexity and continually evolving. explosive palate – does not let down after that nose. mouthfeel is big, coating but not really wet or oily. some drying effects on the finish. the finish is perhaps a touch hot and lands on a sort of fibrous cotton flavor, but I struggle to list any other fault. perhaps the complexity of the palate doesn’t quite meet that of the nose, but the flavors are right up my alley. this is a 10 in my book. love everything ageo puts out. edit: think i overreacted a bit initially. bumping down to a 9. edit 2: no i did not this mezcal is on my brain still and it straight up slaps and if anyone can hook me up with a bottle pls hit me up.

5 Sentidos Pechuga de Mole Poblano MP01 (48.3%) (tasted blind)

nose: pickled onion, apricot, kumquat, mangos, thyme, bay leaves, really expressive and fruity nose, bit of guava, pine nuts, saffron, bit of basil

palate: delicious creamy goodness, dates, nutty, cooked rosemary, cumin, somewhat bitter toward the finish, cajeta on the finish,

initial impressions… this is very very good. finish is a bit lackluster compared to the rest. palate improves with air time. probably an 8/10 for me?

guess: i’m waffling between copper and incredibly clean clay. if it’s clay this is probably tio rey or 5S tio pedro. if it’s copper… maybe tio tello? haven’t had much from him but i think that’s prob wrong… I could see it being a barranca thing maaaybe? abv is right around 50%, i’m gonna say… tio rey arroqueno. yup. can’t wait to be super wrong.

reveal: … i missed in just about every way possible lol. 5 Sentidos Pechuga de Mole. after the reveal i totally see how the dates, nuts and spices on the palate could translate to mole.

if you’re reading this, PLEASE INCLUDE BATCH INFO IN YOUR REVIEWS!!!!

Astor Pick (47.9%) TPXGLA2105

nose: brown butter, peaches, graham cracker, peach cobbler, roasted pecans

palate: peach syrup, bell pepper, cinnamon, limestone, marzipan

this fella is real tasty but the nose is simply out of this world. 8-.

Astor Pick (47.7%) ENNCEL1905

nose: quite faint, figs, isopropyl alcohol, mango, white miso, kumquat

palate: hangs with cucumber skins, peach syrup, white miso, radishes, hazelnut

a bit hot on the finish but the greatest drawback here is the faint nose and that chemical note. really a fantastic palate. 7/10