Vinatero: Lupe Lopez
Lot No: 02 / Batch Size: 50lts
May 2020
Bottle: 01/48
44.8% ABV
Ensamble: 33% Dasylirion Wheeleri / 33% A. Shrevei / 33% A. Angustifolia Haw

• Warming initial nasal impact and drying.
• Aroma: musty, chalky, tangerine, peppermint bark, guava, floral, smoky herbs, wet forest floor.
• Buttery mouthfeel with sufficient alcohol and drying sensation.
• Palate: chalky limestone, tropical fruit (kiwi, guava), ginger (that accompanies sushi), rosemary, mint, citrus, honey, slight hint of dill. On the retro nasal some coffee bean is present.
• Finish: long and harmoniously balanced. The finish on this is really outstanding. Nicely complex and overall impression is excellent.

Lot: 30
46% ABV
Sweet (naturally) with a slight prickle on the initial nasal impact.
Aroma leads with tangerine citrus and cantaloupe followed by cold limestone, fennel, dried white flowers and jalapeno. Earthiness follows.
Oily mouthfeel with sufficient alcohol.
Tangerine citrus and lemon zest hit up front on the flavor, but don’t stop there. That rare spicy jalapeno cuts in, mild fennel tops, white chocolate. The finish is a unique combination of cooling limestone chalk and earthy mushroom. The finish is so pleasing, man – that mushroom pops up and really balances on the palate. It’s been a while since I got this deep into an Espadin (bottle kill in 2 sittings) and couldn’t put it down. For $57, it’s a ton of fun

Botella: 26/72
Lote: 22
50% ABV
Warming with slight prickle on initial nasal impact.
Liquid Mexican street corn on aroma and flavor. Corn, chili powder, butter and Cotija cheese (provides the lactic/briney note). This is due to the 60% pulque used in fermentation. Buttery mouthfeel. Can’t believe this is 50% ABV. Another excellent mezcal from Pal’ alma

Lot: MEX – 22
46% ABV
Warming initial nasal impact with some sweetness.
Aroma: Tropical fruit (especially guava), banana foster and freshly baked breakfast cinnamon buns (hat tip to GMAD for first pointing out this note). The cinnamon and light vanilla notes keep coming through.
Buttery mouthfeel with sufficient alcohol, but not up front.
Flavor: sweet clementine and tamarind. Some grilled poblano and tropical fruit followed by white chocolate mixed with tamarind, tarragon and clementine rind on the retro nasal.
Finish: warming, coating on the palate with a lingering finish that keeps building but highlights flavor over heat.
I love agave Mexicano, and this one is special. Pour one and all of a sudden…. half the bottle is gone. About $75 for this Mexicano…. all in all a solid sipper

La Coleccion Guerrero
Papalote (A. Cupreata)
Bottle: 63/153
50.3% ABV
300 ltrs produced in Sept 2021. Bottled Dec 2021
Initial nasal impact is prickly and warming.
Aroma of tropical fruit – especially guava and mango, black licorice, honey and pickle. Dried flowers and herbal notes.
Oily mouthfeel with generous alcohol and drying.
The tropical fruit and black licorice carry over on the flavor. Pine is very noticable along with flat mineral water. Vegetal and honey on the retro nasal.
The 50.3 ABV lingers with the flat mineral water notes on a long finish.
Could be a little more balanced, as the alcohol dominates throughout, but still a nice papalote from 5 Sentidos

LOTE: 24
ABV 45.55%
Initial nasal impact is a slight prickle and predominantly sweet.
Aroma: Bang with tropical fruit (mango and guava). Sweet wildflower honey follows. Trace of ash. Very little alcohol on the nose.
Oily and buttery mouthfeel with sufficient alcohol.
The Michoacan fruity character hits first on the palate with guava and mango at the forefront with sweet banana (peel with brown spots) peaking in. Well balanced, med – long finish with lingering black pepper and sweet tropical fruit. Reasonably priced mezcal and very good bang for the buck

0818FRM
46.69 % ABV
Warming initial nasal impact.
Nose starts off with BBQ sauce, honey, pickle, asparagus, fennel and dill tops. Cooked agave.
Oily soft mouthfeel with sufficient heat.
Very vegetal and drying on the palate. The asparagus that was picked up on the aroma continues here. Dried herbs and some green pepper (reminds me of Verde) follow. Light ash smoke, but not overpowering. Wow, after a few more sips, some of the BBQ sauce sweetness makes an appearance with Mike’s Hot Honey lingering on the med long finish. A very satisfying Espadin at a moderate price (approx $60 NY)

Lot SDO – 191
46% ABV
Agave Espadin
Initial nasal impact is warming and drying.
Mineral, tropical fruit and wet slate hit first on the aroma. Honeysuckle and sage follow.
Mouthfeel is oily with sufficient alcohol.
Flavor leads with guava, papaya, pine, limestone, honey, lavender and a nice ash presence is well balanced throughout every sip.
Finish is long and very drying with the guava and ash lingering nicely.

LOTE: 6
Bottle 973/1350
03/19
48% ABV

Initial nasal impact is drying with a slight prickle.
Aroma of papaya, ancho pepper, honey, eucalyptus, pineapple.
A coating mouthfeel, buttery with sufficient alcohol and sweet.
Cooked agave and papaya stand out on the flavor, followed by honey, pepper, stone fruit. Some minty eucalyptus, vanilla, earth, mineral and a hint of watermelon. Long finish with some charred oak providing the smoke. Nice combination of cupreata and alto agaves. Slightly complex. Good balance. I really enjoy mezcal and tequila from Michoacan. Derrumbes once again gives a quality mezcal at a very approachable price.

LOT: A_36_EL_21
49% ABV

Prickle on initial nasal impact.
First aroma impression is sweet. The aroma opens with campfire popped corn with melted butter warming next to it. Citrus cuts in, like freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit. Just sliced jalapeno peppers (with ribs and seeds) on steroids compliment and balance the sweet corn and tart grapefruit citrus. Earthy, cinnamon, herbal, honeysuckle aromas develop as this mezcal opens up. Is there a touch of mint in the outfield here?
Buttery with generous heat on initial mouthfeel. The viscosity is evident on the glass.
Flavor matches the aroma but even more pronounced. Sweetness from the corn, brightness from the freshly cut grapefruit, butter and jalapeno dominate and entertain. The retro nasal here is insane …….. the outside of a fire pit toasted marshmallow provides the “smoke”.
You fight the finish – do I take another sip or do I let the finish evolve? (Let it evolve, it is forever building). This continues to develop long after your initial sip. Solid 4 stars. 5 stars for the bargain price (under 50). The sons have made their Dad proud. A must have

LOTE 17
Bottle No. 04
40% ABV

Initial nasal impact is warming.
Herbal, cinnamon, earthy, green pepper, smoke and a bit of citrus on the light aroma.
Watery mouthfeel and astringent on initial sip.
Nothing complex on the flavor. Cinnamon with some generous heat. Not what I like for a mezcal at 40% ABV, for me it indicates a very unbalanced, stripped away flavor profile. The triple distillation might be an attempt at striving for “smoothness” but it removes sought after flavors. Some vegetal and herbal notes are present, with eucalyptus and/or wintergreen LifeSaver. That’s about it.
Medium finish of liquid smoke. Would hold up in a cocktail and will give you something to sip on with a cigar (because flavor will be lost anyway), but don’t look for it to be an everyday sipper. I wouldn’t recommend it as a beginner mezcal due to its lack of ….. well, everything I look for in a mezcal. Price is budget friendly, but wouldn’t buy it again. Have no interest in their aged expressions after this dull joven

LOTE 6
04-20
Bottle 129/280
44.2% ABV
Initial nasal impact is slight prickle.
Aroma hits with lactic, molasses and a fresh sliced jalapeno. Maybe some bright citrus wants to peak through at the top of the glass, but it is smothered by dark spice.
Oily mouthfeel with generous alcohol.
Spicy mint, toasted fennel seeds and some minerality stand out on the flavor. Dark spice, pine resin (maybe sharp oak) and mesquite ash follow on a medium finish. A very reasonably priced bacanora

Master Mezcalero: Antonio Cortes Aragón
Year of Harvest, Distillation, Bottling: 2019
Batch: M1A – A1903US
46.29% ABV
200ml

Drying initial nasal impact, slightly warming.
Muted Skittles and flint on the nose.
Oily mouthfeel with building generous alcohol.
Flavor profile leads with mint, earth, freshly struck flint, pine, honey, Cheyenne pepper.
Long finish with lingering freshly wet down brush fire ash and Cheyenne pepper on the retro hale. The heat is very pleasant and balanced on this Arroqueño. Another solid La Medida variety

200ml
LOTE A8
BOTELLA 120T
FECHA 11-19
47% ABV
Funkiana, Univittata, Americana
Drying initial nasal impact.
Sharp lactic funk, vegetal, brine, dill pickle on the aroma.
Oily and drying initial mouthfeel with generous alcohol.
The lactic note carries over in the flavor, along with bok choy drizzled with soy sauce, dried clementine and dill pickle. Clementine sweetness hits the sides of the tongue. Herbal, vegetal, bok choy and soy sauce are really lingering on the retro nasal. Great depth of flavor, rich and earthy.
A long peppery, umami finish with some oak smoked meat bark batting clean up. Damn, I like this unique mezcal from Tampaulipas. Derrumbes nails it again.

Batch JT06-19
Bottle 123/132
46.9% ABV
123 ltr batch
Harvested 94 Tobalá / 70 Jabali piñas
This is an incredibly complex mezcal, each time you go back to it, it shows more ankle. Could review the same bottle next week and add to the notes.
Slightly drying initial nasal impact.
Aroma of clay, musty attic, very ripe tropical fruit.
A buttery mouthfeel and drying with very generous alcohol. Pleasingly sweet.
Where to begin on the palate? Green banana, cherry flavored cream soda (if there is such a thing), jasmine, gauva, smoked Brie cheese, rain soaked clay pot, wildflower honey, mint, orange blossom, pineapple cooked with brown sugar…… the more you sip, the more it develops. And oh yeah, there is smoke or char that is very present but unbelievably balanced.
The finish is long and complex, continuingly adding depth. Overall impression is beyond excellent. This mezcal from the great Alberto Martinez and his son in law Reynaldo is a MUST have. Just remarkable

LOTE: B1492
Very neutral initial nasal impact.
Jolly rancher candy melt down on the nose with trailing dryness.
Somewhat oily mouthfeel and warming.
Initially sweet on the flavor, almost mixed fruit roll ups. Chamomile, fennel and light citrus follow. This would gain a star if it was higher ABV, but at 40% it is missing something. Very light charred jalapeno pepper skin on the finish which also brings in more heat than was originally present. A good beginner mezcal, but with the minimal ABV, it might get lost as a mixer.

Produced in 2018
Edition 67
Batch LSHES210818ACJ
Bottle 3275/3500
45% ABV
Very slight prickle on the initial inhale.
Mild aroma of cooked agave and melon followed by honeysuckle.
Watery with sufficient alcohol and drying initial mouth feel.
Flavor is mild all around. Cooked agave, light eucalyptus and cinnamon flavor are most noticeable. Some olive brine on the retro nasal. Very light smoke.
A good beginner mezcal, and holds up in cocktails (I made it in a mezcal ranch water).

Incredible mezcal from Mal Bien Quiote de Alto and Isidro Rodriguez.
1119IRM
46.5% ABV
All Quiote used here.
Warming with a prickle initial nasal impact, then slightly drying.
Aroma hits with watermelon all day. Orange blossom, cucumber, taffy, jolly rancher watermelon. This is a very fine nose.
Warming, coating and soft mouthfeel. There is a generous alcohol presence on the tongue. Sweet, followed by some sour and bitter with medium body on initial swirl in the mouth. Somewhat cooling, then heat working together in a pleasing way.
Flavor profile starts big with watermelon taffy, melon, cucumber, jalapeno, honey and citrus zest. Awesome limestone and mineral on the retro nasal. Concentrated and complex with dry, fresh extinguished ash on the medium finish. Harmoniously balanced. Overall impression is excellent. A MUST have.

LOTE: CU470719
Distilled: 09/18
27/72
47% ABV
Slight warming, if not neutral initial nasal impact.
Aroma is very bold on tropical fruit, jasmine, herbal and cinnamon.
Oily mouthfeel with generous alcohol on the tongue.
Tropical fruit (guava, papaya, some very ripe pineapple) and eucalyptus hit first on the flavor followed by cinnamon and sweet honey (mostly on the retro nasal). The pepper tingle stays pleasingly on the tongue for a medium to long finish. Harmonious balance on the finish. There is a light presence of ash, so definitely good for those not looking for a “smoky” mezcal. Very satisfying overall impression. Another excellent mezcal at a great price point from Banhez

Lote: 21
48.51% ABV
Warming initial nasal impact.
Lots of tropical fruit and new sneakers on the aroma. Some vanilla follows.
Slight alcohol heat with an oily mouth feel.
Vanilla bean ice cream, white dust from baseball card bubble gum and tropical fruit lead on the flavor. Medium finish with sufficient alcohol with little to no “smoke”, but clay notes develop late.
My first round with this tequilana wasn’t very rewarding, so I didn’t review at the time. It definitely grew on me. Quite enjoyable