Lot E-10 – E-21

Newly opened bottle. 50.4%

Nose: Subdued. Really have to work to pull something out. Acetone is strong. Little bit of pepper, if you look for it. And a little “buttery” (?).

Mouth: Strong, sharp fruit flavours up front, but they disappear quickly. Very different to the nose and unexpected. Acetone is still there, but it’s embedded in a syrupy-ness. The acetone, fruit, and syrup are all compressed and feel muted compared to heat. Lots of heat in the mouth and on the finish. The pepper is less like black pepper and more like chili pepper.

This is good, for a mid-range, but it’s really one dimensional. You could call it balanced, but that balance really only consists of heat and sugar. It’s solid, simple, and functional, but not a lot more. Has a kind of hot purity.

Going back to the nose after tasting it, and the agave/sharp fruit flavours are much more present. Even the latter sips feel different. Maybe it needs time to open.

Edit: smelling the glass after, and there is some green banana and a faint mint that wasn’t evident before. Definitely needs time to open.

Lot S-03, 37% Espadin, 32% Coyote, 15% Arroqueno, 13% Mexicano, and 3% Sierra Negra.

Newly opened bottle. 50%

Nose: Immediately peanut brittle (?) or some kind of confectioner’s sugar. Possibly sweet popcorn. Might be just the neck pour. Followed by the agave/bright fruit. Then the acetate hits. Not off-putting. Just that gummy airplane/model glue smell. In this case, works well with the sweetness.

Mouth: The acetate seems to be entirely gone on the mouth. Sweetness in the spirit, mixed with (and a little dominated by) lots and lots of white pepper, little bit of black pepper, saltiness/saline oiliness on the finish. The alcohol heat is there, but it’s not unmanageable. Very mineral body. Again, not off-putting. It all works really well together to balance each other, with the minerality and oiliness holding the rest together.

This is genuinely good.