I’m really loving the stuff that Reynaldo is producing and the integration of the rawhide fermentation is super solid! And this one integrates cement fermentation which is super unique as well. I feel like 5S had to be sure about this one to have it replace the old Sierra Negra from Alberto Martinez that is so highly acclaimed and they didn’t miss!

A lot of the same flavor characteristics as Alberto’s, funky, earthy, some sweetness/fruitiness in there, and a bit lactic. However, this one takes it a bit further and is a bit more complex in my opinion. There’s a bit of slate flavor in there from the cement and it also gives it a very dry texture on the backend. The rawhide fermentation doesn’t overpower here. The clay pot flavor comes through and makes it feel like Alberto’s batches. The label says it was cooked for 23 days which is a long cook and the smoke is really solid here.

I actually like this more than Alberto’s Sierra negra and am really glad I bought this bottle.

Also sampled at Tre Dita. Had two pours of this and really liked it! Lemony and this one had a clear flavor profile from Miahuatlan. Kind of like lemon and strawberries and cream with a nice level of smoke within there, too. I’m not always the type to reach for Tobala but I really like everything I’ve had from Gusto Historico as a brand and this is no different!

Sampled this at Tre Dita in Chicago– solid restaurant but high priced pours– and was surprised to see this in the spirits list. I was also surprised to read that this was produced in Miahuatlan as the flavor profile didn’t feel consistent with the refrescador distillation. BUT I was also kinda turnt so maybe my memory is a bit hazy lol this was solid pour though, very fruity compared to many other Tobaziches I’ve had. Lots of tropical fruit and the signature grassiness of karwinskii. A nice aftertaste that lingers for a bit! Wouldn’t buy a bottle of this but didn’t mind drinking it and eating pasta!

Review for the two different bottles, from two different regions.
Batch JAJA0524-1 from Sola de Vega
48.3% abv
I’d give this one 4 stars, possibly a bump down to 3.5 but I always tend to round up 🙂 definitely a bit of various spices on the palette here. A bit dark in terms of vibe when I sip this, like I get from other expressions from Sola de Vega. I think some others mentioned pumpkin in here and I get a little bit of that as well. I don’t tend to gravitate towards mezcals from this region and I wouldn’t guess blindly that this was Jabali. Reminds me a lot of the flavor profile of the Mezcalero Arroqueno from this region. Good stuff but I like the other batch of jabali better… see below.

Batch JAJA0524-2 from Chichicapam
48.3% abv
I’d rate this 4.5 stars. I really love the flavor profile of expressions from Chichicapam. Such an earthy chocolate underlying flavor that carries throughout and the clay pot texture really makes this nice. I think this tastes a bit more like a Jabali than the other from SDV. A bit of the soapy, sour flavor peeks through but this is a darker jabali than what I’m used to and I really really enjoyed it!

Was thinking 3.5/5 stars but bumped it up to 4 given that I have only a sample and not a full bottle so can’t fully judge. Same batch as the other reviewers. At first pour the nose and palette is a magic marker— really wild lol. It opens up a bit as you drink it though and becomes a bit more complex. Mint, mesquite, obviously cacao, and some spice comes through. Once you get past the initial few tastes, the layers and complexity shine through a bit more and the dry, minerality from the clay comes through as well. Pretty solid but I like the other expressions from this brand a bit more!

Tasted this in Boston at Bar Pollino a few days ago– would recommend going there for a drink, great mezcal selection, and the restaurant above it Faccia a Faccia for dinner! Anyways, didn’t get the bottle info but enjoyed this as I have with just about every El Jolgorio pour I’ve had. I haven’t had many Tobaziches that aren’t clay pot distilled so this was a different flavor profile obviously. Keeps with the Tobaziche/Karwinskii grassy, earthy, herbacious flavor profile but with less earthy, thickness and a bit thinner and copper minerality. A bit of fruitiness mixed in there like cherry or red fruit. Really good stuff but not sure I would buy a whole bottle!

At first taste, this one was not for me. But the more I sipped, the more I actually enjoyed this. Reminds me a lot of a Tobala I sampled in Minas last year. Super lemony/citrusy on the nose and palette for this one. Almost like limoncello but far less sweet. Again, the clay pot minerality adds some great texture and earthiness to this. Really unique flavor profile, smoked Sprite haha another solid release. Really diggin this brand!

EDIT: Just saw the review below me that this smells like Benedictine– which I think they meant BETADINE lol– and that’s so accurate haha!

Not always the biggest fan of Mexicano independently but really enjoyed this sample of the Mexicano Capon. The clay pot minerality adds a nice dimension to this and a thicker mouthfeel. Very perfumey and chocolatey as I tend to get from many Mexicanos but the capon style adds another dimension of sweetness to this expression which cuts the burn as well and makes this a smoother drink. Definitely a spicy, peppery finish that is flavorful and not all burn, similar to an espadin, like some other Mexicanos. Great stuff.

Another 4.5/5 pour from Creador. I almost gave this 5 but I feel like it’s missing just a little something. First off, I’ve never had Tepe and Mexicano paired together in an ensamble in isolation before and this is just a fantastic combo! Also, really interesting to have the two agaves cultivated in different regions, you can definitely taste that in the profile and the Chichicapam is lingering in here and I love it– such a distinct flavor from that region.

The nose and flavor profile here is like a big bowl of halloween candy that has the chocolate and fruity candies mixed together. Eating a snickers that kinda tastes like skittles haha but better because it’s mezcal. Fruity, bell pepper, jalapeno and black pepper from the tepeztate with a chocolatey undertone from the Chichi soil that slides right into the chocolatey, perfumey mexicano. I will be buying a bottle of this it’s incredibly unique. The first sip I said “whoa” lol

Really big fan of this! It has a lot of Arroqueno notes and that makes sense given this is an Americana Coyote and not Lyobaa. The clay is present all the way through in this, as it was also fermented in clay pots which is cool as hell. Super soft but complex and NOT thin by any means. Tons of flavor from a bit of tropical fruitiness, tartness like licorice, floral, spice, and leather. Minimal burn. I’d imagine a whole bottle would be quite complex after it aerates a bit. As I’m finishing this review and sipping, also getting some perfume on the nose, some hickory and another flavor that I can’t quite pin down! So good!

January 2023 lot
Ok not trying to be a hater but I think after this bottle I’m done purchasing Rey Campero bottles. They are ok for the price but I’m never really impressed (besides the Chato) and the burn is always high on their releases. Happy to keep sampling pours in bars but yeah done buying the full bottle.

Got this for $90 which is a good price but it’s a very thin Madrecuishe. Def the acetone and marker nose like people have mentioned and it’s not a bomb of earthy greenness like many madrecuishe can be. Very muted overall. Some lemonade, soil, cedar flavor notes but it comes and goes pretty quick. Definitely nothing too bold about this and tastes almost watered down.

As always , I’ll update my review if the bottle opens up and improves but having a little buyers remorse I may need to drink away LOL

Received this as a gift and it’s not the worst bottle I’ve had but I just wish they wouldn’t have watered it down. And I think that label is very tacky. An ok flavor profile, greenness, funky cheese, jalapeño. But very muted. Grab the burrito fiestero ensamble with cenizo and verde (Salmiana) instead for 10-15 more and you’ll be much more impressed.

Requested to have this bottle on here and just realized I forgot to review haha! This is the Moreno’s edition so if you’re looking for the bottle (previous review) get it from Moreno’s in Chicago— but wait for me to get another first! This bottle is just really great and I tend to really like Berta’s stuff, although some people find her releases hit or miss. I think Rezpiral has been doing some of the best releases around lately and within the past few years. This one is a bit older but you catch my drift. Really well rounded and each sip is very unique with the various agaves in this ensamble. Lots of fruit and bell pepper in the beginning and closes out strong with a chocolatey/herbal/floral combo of the Mexicano and Espadin. Slight burn but it’s nice. The cool thing about every Berta release I’ve had is they change extremely after aerating halfway through the bottle. Plus she’s a badass.

Had this one out at lunch the other day as a backup since my first choice was out of stock. I don’t typically order espadin but was very impressed with this. Tasted almost completely different and unexpected. Perfect balance, very floral and smooth, almost no burn on the back end. Price point is typically a bit higher on Neta bottles and pours but I’ve never been let down when tasting. Really enjoyed this.

If you are in Chicago, go to La Josie or to Moreno’s to get a hold of this. Such a great bottle! I think they also sent part of this batch elsewhere, as it’s available on Madre’s website based in Cali. But this is an incredible clay pot ensamble that takes the flavor profile of the jabali-tobala that is so highly reviewed and throws in the Sierra negra that is also so highly reviewed. A perfect collaboration of these three. The funk of the sierra negra with the soapy, sour jabali, followed by the sweetness and fruitiness of the tobala. I really burned through this bottle quickly on a staycation and only have about 4 oz left.

Cool to see this bottle up here! I sampled this at the 5S tasting room in Oaxaca and really loved it but it’s extremely difficult to track down and I don’t personally love pechugas enough to drop $150+ on them. But this one I think I would. It literally tastes like mole negro and it’s such a fun one to drink. That’s the nose, that’s the flavor profile: mole negro lol. The mole poblano pechuga was a bit too banana forward for me but this one was really a perfect balance.

Easily my favorite mezcal that I own. Only let my closest friends taste this one lol It is only available in Oaxaca at the moment but not sure if that will change– if you get a chance to go to the Tasting at the 5S tasting room in Oaxaca, be sure to try this AND buy it. A rare combo of two Americanas, the best way to describe this bottle is that it tastes like you are drinking a bbq pit lol It’s really hard to describe but every time I take a sip, i say DAMN. Signature minas clay pot flavor. The nose and flavor is the same and amazing: a sweet balance of smoke, clay pot, cinnamon, floral and dark soiley flavor profile. If you can get a hold of Tio Pedro’s Arroqueno, it’s similar in flavor profile and for sure available in the states.

I LOVE this bottle. I’ve purchased two at this point and that’s saying a lot because there is a world of mezcal to explore and I’ve bought the same bottle twice haha. Also from Ageo Cortes and he snapped on this ensamble. Never had these two maguey’s together and I absolutely love how they taste together. Nose is an incredible combination of the bright, tart, greenness of bicuish and the warmer, darker scent of the arroqueno. The flavor profile is a perfect balance of the two, starting with the flavor of the bicuishe and then the arroqueno brings the taste home. Very nutty in flavor as well, almost similar to a marteno. I’m surprised Mama Chuy isn’t connect to luneta given the bottle shape and wax seal, and utilizing Ageo’s mezcals, but anyways… this is BOMB.

I’ve seen the barreno from Gusto Historico and this is the only other barreno I’d encountered in the wild so I was interested to try it out. This one did shift considerably in complexity from the first sip of the bottle to the last. At first whiff, it smelled like a tequila on the nose but the flavor profile is considerably different. I’d describe this as a darker karwinskii, and was a bit muted in the first 1/4 of the bottle. However, once some air gets in it changes for the better and makes it a bit hard to put down haha! Lots of honey, wasabi, greenness on the nose and a bit leathery and meaty as well. Flavor profile is very green like a typical karwinksii but very woodsy and earthy, olives, soil. Underlying flavor is that of the refrescador from miahuatlan– that’s the unmistakable part of this flavor profile.

I’ve had a few from Ageo the past few months and I really like his expressions– super talented!

Easily one of the most unique mezcals I’ve had and I loved every bit of it! The story behind this one is so cool– read the description above. This one smells from a mile away once you open it up and pour it! SO green and earthy like an Amatlan cuishe but the moldy aspect amplifies it completely. When you smell and taste this, it is comparable to a hotel room in Mexico or somewhere humid where the air conditioner is running and there is a faint smell of mold in the room haha but like in the best way possible. It tastes so earthy and the combo of the karwinskii with the mold is such a great combo in my opinion. Perfectly balanced sweetness on the backend.

If you find yourself in Europe or somewhere that has Sin Gusano, they also have a release of this same mezcal under their name– same producer, too. Otherwise, if you find yourself in Chicago, try and get this from Moreno’s. Old bottle but worth it.