Had this a few times so figured it’s worth reviewing. A great starter mezcal and easily accessible in many parts of the US. Very Smokey, chocolatey, and easy to sip. DM gets a lot of hate for good reason but can’t hate on this one too much.
Got this on sale at Binnys for 90 instead of the typical 120. My biggest issue with this bottle is the price because the flavor profile is very similar to the burrito fiestero ensamble and that one comes in at $45-50 price point. I don’t feel like there’s enough of a difference to justify the big uptick in price and I would have preferred to have not bought this bottle lol bbq flavors are a bit present but the grape/sour flavors shine through on this one. As with other bottles, this may become more complex over time but I’m not really feeling it at this point. Will update as always if things change.
Bought this one in Ft. Lauderdale on a work trip and finished it with some friends over the weekend. Very solid bottle for $100– I really like a lot of the stuff Gusto Historico puts out. Nose is earthy and vegetal as the Bicuixe comes on strong. Not much of the espadin on the nose which I prefer. Taste profile is very heavy in the Bicuixe— green, bright, musty, and a bit of licorice on the backend. Forward with Bicuixe and after it’s been sitting a while the Espadin comes through slightly, as you’d expect from a 70/30 blend. Very solid!
When a Mezcalero bottle is on the spirit list at a restaurant in Chicago, you grab it lol surprisingly only $16 for a 2 oz pour, too, which is very reasonable in my opinion. First word that comes to mind for this one is bright! I get the lemony/citrus/pine on the front end from the Jabali and then the tepeztate really comes through! I like that the espadin adds to this one but isn’t overpowering— would love to know the breakdown of percentages of each maguey used. Really well made
Had a 2 oz pour of this last night and first time tasting it outside of the Sierrudo-Arroqueno ensamble I have from 5S. The arroqueno was fantastic by itself! Really had fun drinking this one, makes you feel like you’re back in Minas. Very earthy, leathery, and tastes like a hard days work lol bbq sauce and roasted salsa flavors peak through as well. Very complex and the more you drink the more you taste— long, enjoyable finish as well. Highly recommend.
Grabbed this one today— slowly making my way through the Mezcalero series in a non linear fashion. First pour, somewhat unimpressed but wasn’t a massive price tag on this one given the age. Slight chocolate and mint and a bit of fruitiness but I would have guessed an Espadin in a blind taste test at this point. The texture and lingering mouthfeel is pleasant though. I’m hoping with the next few pours and opening up a bit that it will change and will certainly update my score if so! A bit of a letdown at this point, however.
Edit: this has been about half full for a month or so and I’m updating to 4 stars from 3.5. Getting more of the chocolate notes that others picked up and it’s much more enjoyable and complex now. Much darker than other arroquenos I’ve had but still solid. Feels less like an Espadin after sitting for a bit.
Was actually able to get this at a local liquor store for $80– usually retails for $119 so would definitely recommend at that price point. Would be 5 stars if that was the typical price point lol first pour was a bit muted and had a burn/nose/mouth similar to an Espadin but the more it opened up the more I really enjoyed this bottle, despite the brand. Ended up with a very melon/tropical forward flavor profile that balanced well with the standard Americana flavor profile from arroqueno that I’m used to. I don’t think my batch screamed that it was clay pot distilled from the flavor profile but added a nice texture. Solid
Haven’t tried 18 so I’m not sure how the two compare but I was expecting a bit more from this bottle given the price point. Bicuish is my favorite type of maguey so it’s hard for me to pass on an ensemble FROM Mezcalero with bicuish. It gets a bit lost in here though. I get some root beer/cream soda aftertaste. Can definitely smell the karwinskii from the nose but the finish was soft and left me hoping for more of that green-ness, vegetal flavor to peek through. Would be interested to try 18, and 11 for that matter, to compare. Still good stuff but I’m grabbing something else for $130
A pretty good Tepe but the more I drink it the less impressed I am. Bell peppery nose and mouth as you’d expect but not overly complex. Bought this bottle in Cabo at Acre after getting turnt during dinner lol it’s a good bottle but for the $130+ price tag, it was more of an impulse purchase and there’s not really a lot of good mezcal in Cabo so it’s somewhat worth it for that reason. However, the cenizo is much less in terms of cost and pretty solid as well– completely different flavor profile obviously but more bang for your buck and a decent sipper. I would for sure recommend checking out Acre though and sampling the mezcal. great vibe and experience.
Just picked this one up– it’s always hard to pass on a Palenqueros expression because they typically run around $80/bottle and for the quality and uniqueness, that’s a hard price point to be. Clay pot flavor is a bit overpowering here. Adds a bit of a coke icee flavor to the mix, which is not my favorite. But still a great sipper, definitely leathery, vanilla, green goodness and it’s hard for me to knock it too much when they provide a quality product at a really affordable price.
Really liked this one but was not expecting there to be as much heat on this one with it being so karwinskii heavy. The verde is an interesting addition but at 10% it gets lost in the sauce a bit but still very good juice overall. Earthy as you’d expect but at $140/bottle, I’d prefer other Mezcalosfera products.
Just picked this one up– I feel like I’ve got a glass bottle aged version since I bought it new nearly 8 years after production haha just absolutely incredible stuff here. I’m a huge karwinskii stan so I’m a bit biased but this one makes me feel like I’m in Oaxaca. Initial nose of the bottle was bananas, vegetal and herbs but the first pour was incredibly smooth and full of that greenness that you’d expect with it being primarily karwinskii. I get more of the karwinskii at first with a slightly herbal tepe finish, some vanilla notes in there, too. Damn this is good.
The hype is real! Buy this bottle if you can get your hands on it! I felt regret pouring the last 2 Oz of it haha
Had to buy it based on the age of this release and I also love Sierra negra as well. The bottle tasted slightly oxidized when I first opened it, lots of burn and not a ton of flavor but I think that was just because of how long it had been sitting. After opened, the bottle changed a bit. Lots of that floral and peppery notes with a bit of leathery taste as well. The nose has some caramel on it for me but not a lot of other reviews mention so could be due to the age of my bottle, some of the sweetness changed. Really solid bottle but I think I actually prefer the funk from the 5 sentidos Sierra negra over this one, even though this bottle is harder to find.
Found this on sale at a local shop so wanted to give it a shot, as I haven’t really had a bottle of Tobaziche outside of an ensamble and I love Karwinskii. As others mentioned, def getting some vanilla, leather, tobacco and fruity sweetness as well. This one is very well balanced and doesn’t taste watered down. I know DM is not always well received in the world of mezcal for valid reasons but this is solid. I’d probably not purchase a bottle at full price because I can get other brands and bottles for a $120 price point that are better but if you can catch it at $90, go for it.
Currently in Cabo, where mezcal is not quite the drink of choice. Found the Tio Felix bottle for a steal at the local supermarket and I’m enjoying it on vacation for the $50 price point that I found it for! The clay is quite evident on the nose and it’s very espadin forward but the arroqueno brings a nice fruity taste to it as well. kind of weird to say but it tastes slightly like Dr. Pepper in mezcal form lol in the best way possible. If you can find it on sale like me, grab it. Full price, maybe reach for something else.
Wow! Another one of my favorite bottles! Somebody else said that this bottle is like the whole world of mezcal into one and I couldn’t agree more. I finished this bottle way too quick haha the bicuishe and madrecuish being 2/3 of the ensamble help to give it bright, earthy nose and then once you take the first sip the layers upon layers of additional magueys open up. Not going to waste time putting names to the flavors because I feel like each sip was different— just drink it and taste for yourself!
I’ve bought three bottles of this and Morenos near me no longer has any in stock because of me! Oops! But figured it was time to review since I’ve bought it so many times. Just an awesome mezcal at an incredible price point (~$80 in chicago if you can find it now 😉 ) I’m a huge fan of sierrudo and even though it’s a near split on this with parts sierrudo and Cuishe, the sierrudo is very forward here. Perfumey, floral, and bright. Little to no burn and just a fantastic sipper— good mezcal to share with friends to introduce them to the world of mezcal as it’s very accessible
As others have alluded to, the heat on this one is the first quality to linger. Notes of chocolate, raisins, a bit earthy with the Cuishe but the coyote feels a bit dominant in this one, even though it’s equal parts in the ensamble. I like Rey campero products but this for the cost on this expression, I’d reach for something else.
Really enjoyable. Nose and mouth green beans. Once you get the green bean idea in your head it’s hard to forget but not in a bad way lol. Revisited this bottle after some time and the complexity changed a bit to give it a bit more minerality and fruitiness. Still love the bottle, trying not to completely finish it due to rarity.
