Overripe fruit, cranberries, and some nuttiness on the smell. Tropical sweetness with more fruit and raisins on the taste. Also get the classic espadin taste, which is welcoming. Floral and fragrant. I’ve had this bottle open for a few weeks now, and can say that some oxygen helped it a lot. Very good!
Great clay balance – soft minerality & and not overbearing on smell or taste. Cream with some good, fruity sweetness to this as well. For almost 50% this is a bit mild. Good clay Coyote here, but by no means great.
Enticing smell (is that orange creamsicle)! Very sweet and tropical. I get some of the cream & funkiness others have mentioned. The sweet and ‘candied’ finish that lingers at the end is very pleasant. This one definitely improved with some oxygen and resting for a few weeks. Can’t quite figure this out completely, but love continuing to try. Review #55
After some air time this one has aged beautifully. The candied and fruit sweetness have really come to the forefront. I would probably rate this closer to a 4.5 now.
First time having this type of agave. Overall very well rounded & nothing offensive about it. Most unique part of this mezcal to me is the smell (slight chlorine on the smell). Soft & sweet nose that carries through to the taste. I also get green olives & some tropical fruit as others have noted. Finishes clean. Missing “something” though to me which would give it a higher rating. But definitely interested to explore more pulquero mezcals.
That cowhide sure is crazy. This one is very different & unique. Mint & spice on the end, musty with some woodiness. Not sure at all about this one….out of the 10 pack taster pack this was 2nd to last.
This seems to be a polarizing mezcal. For me I couldn’t get past the smell of chlorine / a pool. Lots of grass, but this seemed overall a bit light to me – “watery grass juice” is how I described it. Some mint in there as well for good measure. Not sure I like it, or if this is for me. But again I’ve heard of people that LOVE it . . . so there you go.
Not a bad ensamble – basic, but good. Appreciated the different agave notes I could pick out – bananas stood out above all else for some reason, and overall well rounded. Nothing to get too excited about, but easy to sip.
Musty smell, and the test was very sharp & ethanol laced. Didn’t get a whole lot here and wasn’t terribly impressed. Slightly better than his espadilla, but my favorite from Don Fede is still the Ensemble that Melate released summer 2020. 3.25 & review #50!
Piney smell (best thing I thought it had going for it), which probably resulted from the fermentation. Overall I got strong ethanol / alcohol tastes, with some mintyness. Overall it just seemed a bit “cheap” and really not that good or interesting for me. 2.25
Fresh flowers and butter on the nose…classic espadín but more fragrant. Full mouth feel with some tartness/lemon-heads at the end with some more flowers. With bit of a funk that I love. Wish I had a bigger bottle as I think this one could benefit from some oxygen/resting. These 50ml bottles go quick! 3.75
This one is by far the best from the Leyenda sample pack I tried. Great smell with some sweet, vegetal, & cream funk. Greenish notes along with jalapeno on the taste. Great balance of smoke and bite at the end. Very surprised! 3.75
Lote: DMRL1119
Review #47
Watery, mild, weak, and overall bland…. some light smoke at the end. Yep, that’s it.
Lote: DLSL1119
Review #46
Not my favorite from Leyenda. Strong smell of jalapeno, which is probably the best thing it has going for it. Some green olive and green on the taste. A bit watery for me, and frankly doesn’t seem too much to this one. 2.75. Lote: ISJL1119
MJ03-15.
Great & clean smell and overall taste. I’m still not the biggest fan of a Mexicano, but this one gives nothing to complain about (and could be my favorite to date). Cream with vegetal notes on both smell & taste. Also very sweet & smooth, but not as deep or complex or unique enough to get more of a higher rating for me. Review #44
Not enough can be said about how GREEN and bright and classically smooth this one is. Can’t believe it’s a 52% ABV, as I don’t get any ethanol or strong alcohol kicks. Green peppers and some sweetness – peaches perhaps. Some mint, slight pepper & spice hint. Light, clean, and CRISP on finish – bravo! Lote: 0218
A-2R-TR-18 (80% Tep, 20% Espadin)
Smell is green and tep-like. Taste though seems a bit watery and light (says a lot considering it’s 52%). There’s definitely tepeztate notes in there, although not as strong or pronounced as I prefer. Light cream and maybe some custard notes. I do love teps, and wanted this one to be excellent.
Review #117
Very fragrant and perfumey on the nose. Creamy and green throughout! Smooth and rich. Great D.M right here!
Very creamy…notes of pine needles and some butterscotch on the finish. Clean and simple, but not as complex as expected. I purchased a 200ml taster, and happy I did. For ~$90 on a 750ml I could think of a dozen other bottles off hand that I think are money better spent. Slightly better than the ‘Oaxaca’ L.D mezcal, but for price I’d go with the other one all day.
Sweet with tropical notes as others have pointed out, with the best part being that it seems to carry a distinguished orange peel smell. Taste is a bit too much ethanol and the finish is a tad harsh. Very different then the other L.D. Michocan mezcal, and more complex (surprising to me considering the price difference between the two). This one to me seems more of a fit for cocktails vs a copita.
Only a matter of time before I got to this one. Overall pretty light, slightly smokey, and not a whole lot of complexities to speak of. Light ethanol. Not bad for a sipper, but a lot better for a good mix drink. The smell (slightly fruity) seems to be better than the actual taste. This one has done a lot for Del Maguey, but has to be the weakest link in their reputable chain of mezcals.