Lote: A-01-El-20 from March 2020.
This one is really great. Surprisingly smooth and well balanced given the 50%+ABV. I do taste the corn throughout, although it’s subtle & not overbearing. Fruitiness & some burnt caramel bring this together very nicely. Full, round body. Great value in my opinion, and so this one might be my regular for a ‘mid-level’ espadin.

Bit perfumey on the nose (in a good way), along with being very sweet with berry fruitiness. Could be the most complex from the Banhez line, as well as one of my favorite from them (Cuishe is up there). Overall (I only had a small sample unfortunately), this was just really delicious & smooth. 4.25

Gun powder and pepper (smell of gun cleaner too), but well balanced. If anything maybe a bit too much heat at the finish. I’m still up in the air about my personal preference to mexicanos, and this one certainly didn’t improve, or lower, my ‘indecisiveness’ on this particular agave type. 3.75

Could be my favorite of the Banhez line (close to the Jabali, but below the Tep). Got some mint & tropical fruit with some heat on the finish. Overall very tasty, and the smell was intoxicating (not as much as the taste of course 😉

Very unique taste with licorice/anise. Very sweet with some orange peel, cream, and sage. Balanced smoke & not too hot. I like like the attempt here, but not sure I’d proactively go for it again.

This is a unique tobala. Not getting the sweetness & flavors I would expect from this agave. The clay seems to also mellow it out a bit, although the taste doesn’t have overt minerality. Light butter, some green/vegetal in the taste. Good spice & smoke balance, but hard to rate this one higher for Melate when compared with the companion Tep. bottle.

Wow! This is absolutely delicious – the best by Melate, and could be my favorite mezcal to date. Defeats the E.J Tep. This one is super vegetal and green on the nose. Also get some perfume & bubblegum. This is all over the place . . . in a good way. Candy & fruity sweet along with your classic Tep tastes: green bell peppers & jalapeños. Not too hot or spicy, well balanced, with a clean & light finish (However, I continue to taste sweetness and “green” long after the finish). 4.75. Well done!!

Strong notes of some BBQ, but also slightly sweet (reminiscent of a tequila). Very woody/oaky and earthy – all in a good way. Overall this one is really good.

This is more of a gin to me than a mezcal. Or a ‘smoked gin’ if you will. Very sweet (maybe too much?) & herbal on the nose – notes of lemon, eucalyptus, and some other herbs. Someone said it best – tastes like a spa! Would love to use this in place of gin when making a negroni. Not bad by any means, it’s just hard to constitute this one as your traditional mezcal.

This is delicious & smooth (classic adjective, but still very applicable) with almost perfect balance of some big smoke & fruit (some melon notes in here). Only had a very small sample, but will be after a bottle ASAP. Wish I had more descriptives for this one, but I was at a lost for words – it was that good. Also, this is my first Mezcalosfera, so look forward to sampling the rest of their lineup.

*Purchased a bottle based on above, and this batch seems to taste vastly different. Lote: 05USA-19. Much more smokier with some mesquite and BBQ notes on smell and taste. Orang peels. Not changing initial rating, but had I drank this bottle first it would have been closer to 4-3.75 stars.

I was fortunate to pick a bottle up straight from the palenque in late 2019. This tobaziche by Don Felix is absolutely delicious. Sweet smell with some BBQ notes. Light minerality and funk, which is surprising given the clay distillation. Overall it is very balanced between sweetness and smoke. Warm and satisfying finish that lingers nicely. My favorite (so far) to come from Felix. 4.25

Edition 3, 2018, 39/130
Man, I had high expectations for this one. Probably rightfully so based on prior reviews & price. However, I can’t give this one anything higher than a 4 star.
Juicy on the smell, with notes of pink bubblegum. Huge explosion on the taste, with more hints of bubblegum, candy, and fruitiness (some “grapeness” flavor in here as well). Full-mouth feel that lingers nicely. This one is very dark & deep, and surprisingly smooth & balanced considering the 50%+ ABV. I’ll also add that I haven’t tasted anything quite like this before.
However, it’s not as complex as I’d like (take that for what you will), as well as having some acetone smells and tastes throughout. It just doesn’t really blow me away. I always give a bump in a star rating for a lower priced bottle (ie espadin) that hits above it’s weight class, so the converse has to be true as well – I’m docking this rating due to the very high price tag and also (in my humble opinion) hitting a bit below the expected weight class. This is kinda like a 54 year old Mike Tyson trying to get back in the ring. E.J. is a great brand, but I’ll save my shekels next time for something a hundred dollars cheaper, and a bit better.

At 42% a bit on the lighter side, but overall not too bad. As others have pointed out the price tag (~$30) really makes this quality (extra bump in the star rating for that reason). I’ve paid almost double for espadins that really aren’t this good… Light creaminess & welcoming sweetness in the taste (don’t really get any of the pineapple or banana though). Some spice and smoke, both which aren’t overbearing. Doesn’t bother me at all, but doesn’t give me the complexities that we all love with our mezcal.

Good green notes on smell and taste, but a bit too hot for my liking. I could see this being a great mixer (but still very good to sip neat) given the great cost. Some creaminess & pepper as well, and surprisingly a bit complex. I’ve been drinking tons of espadins (don’t we all), so my bar is a bit high on this agave type. Not bad at all + price = great value.
Lote: MX014/16ESP

Sweet & classic espadin smell. Light butter, some bananas, but with acetone as well. Not too complex. Recently tried the D.M San Luis Del Rio and found that to be much more enjoyable. Price point is great though, and I would drink this neat, or use as a good mixer as there is some smoke & heat to it. Bonus points for the price.
Batch: RMCES100919NS, 1062/2300, 48% ABV, Javier Nolasco & Rafael Mendez

Green notes on smell. Sharp in beginning then with some smooth buttery, green pepper, and spice notes. Rotten bananas. Overall bright, but with slight acetone notes throughout, which docks it a half point. Very drinkable though, but as others have pointed out probably a bit on the expensive side for an espadín. 3.75
Lot: 181

Lote PUE-161 *Confirmed this is part of the first run, so is 100% A. Papalote* (Only in subsequent releases did DM incorporate the a. Pizorra).

Sweet on nose – some overripe fruit notes. Minerality and slight clay on finish. Overall very well rounded…slightly too much alcohol lingering at the end to my liking, but perhaps will mellow out a bit in time. Not quite the same as other tobalas I had with the typical sweetness (it’s a good thing). In my opinion, slightly better than the Chichicapa. 4.25 stars.

Harvest 2016, Edition 16, Bottle 857
Sweet on nose, and throughout, but with lots of green. Reminds me of a Tep… Notes of some clay, minerality, and with pink bubblegum on the finish. Deep, complex, and spicy, and not as sweet as other Tobalas. Brings some good heat as well. In general I’d love to try this again, and it tasted a lot more green and spicy and vegetal than expected. 4.25. (favorite EJ for me is still the Tepeztate…so far).
Tried different bottle, same edition. This one carries stronger notes of cream brûlée, umami flavor, some BBQ…more woody and meaty than sweet…so crazy how each bottle & edition can evolve. I’d probably rate this one closer to 4.

Very unique! I wish I had more to try than just the 50ml bottle. Great smell with a wild taste. Is that grapes (or grape medicinal syrup maybe)? Overall really good, and leaves a full mouth feel and finish. This is my first cenizo as well, so definitely excited about trying more of these agave types (and first agave from Durango).

Follow-Up (01/2021): Batch 29CDIG02, 2019, Edition 08. Really ashy, and reminiscent of rye whiskey. Melon, more oak barrels, whiskey spice, burnt ash, brown sugar. Not as sweet to my memory as first review…this bottle is more of a 3.5 for me after a month into it.

Bottle 01 (and first review, hah). This is really good. The sweetness from the Tobala pairs excellent with the Mexicano/Espadilla. Sweetness on nose (and throughout), w/ some bananas & buttery notes. Lighter than I normally prefer, but still very well balanced with a great strong, smoky, and a bit minty, finish. Simply put, I have really enjoyed sipping this one the last few days.