Review #144: The nose has bubblegum, apple, sake, cherry, mango, peach, sweet florals, and as it opens up a while the fruits get overripe and something skunky.
The palate has crisp apple, mango, anise, cinnamon bark, gravel, and leather. For some reason I’m also reminded of lake water.

This is a lovely weird mezcal that I really enjoyed trying. The flavors are just so rich and potent and it leaves such a long lasting finish. I agree with Ben that the cinnamon and anise are more dominant on the palate compared to the nose where I got more silky fruit, but also everything is still so well balanced while still being a little on the crazy side.

40% abv, lote 12/23

Review #142: the nose has bell pepper, jalapeno, funky parmesan cheese, and florals.

The palate has raspberry, bell pepper, jalapeno, parmesan, cream, and sweet florals.

I’m always hesitant about 40%, as one should be. This one surprised me. It has a strong aroma and flavors. I can only imagine what some added proof could do to this. It has a nice balance of classic salmiana vegetals with some fruits to keep it fresh. The low price point makes this even more worth to try if you have a chance.

49.3% abv, lote ENCH/LEC/SOT/3/10/23

Review #142: The nose has earth, chocolate, pine, caramel, and leather.

The palate has peppermint, mint chocolate, green beans, pine, mossy, cream, strawberry, caramel, leather, and some dry earth on the finish.

This is really different from his other stuff. I find his agave bottlings to be on the delicate side and the sotol really dominates and shines through here. As it opens up I get a bit of the sweeter notes from the agave, but overall it’s more chocolate, vegetal, and earthy. I found this to be a pretty fun showcase of a bolder sotol expression backed up with his softer lechuguilla flavors.

47.5% abv, lote ENS/LECH/CHAW/10/15/23

Review #141: On the nose is bubblegum, strawberries and cream, vanilla, fresh milk, cotton, and white flowers.

The palate has bubblegum, mozzarella, cream, vanilla, banana, strawberry, wet clay, canteloupe, apricot jam, dark cherry, and some candied rose and other florals on the finish.

This is the like the no brand/lechuguilla Cumbrita dialed up a notch. The nose is rich, the fruit notes are bold, and it’s very silky and delicate but at the same time very expressive. It’s very easygoing to drink but has a lot of depth to it. The chawi must be working some magic here because this is excellent.

50% abv, no lot number

Review #140: On the nose I get lots of fresh florals, sweet lavender, jasmine, sunflower, mint candy, grapefruit, orange oils, orange juice, and lemonade.
The palate has fresh orange, lavender, lemonade, grapefruit, lemongrass, lime oils, and lime leaf.

This is really pretty! The nose is just blossoming with fresh sweet florals and lovely citrus notes. The palate follows suit quite well, and leaves just a touch of bitter grassiness to keep it from being too sweet but still balanced. Definitely one of my favorite “pretty” mezcals where the florals are not too overwhelming but still present and complex.

This sample was provided to me free of charge with no strings attached.

49.7% abv, no lot number

Review# 139: On the nose I get plum, raisin, earthy coffee, pineapple, luxardo cherry, lime, fruit punch, and kind of wine-y.
The palate has leather, plum, luxardo cherry, lime, quality milk chocolate, cinnamon, earthy coffee, zuccini bread, and roasted cashew on the finish.

I loved the mix of wine-like fruits notes with the darker undertones. I don’t find this to have too much bitterness or heat for my taste. It’s definitely pushing between an 8-9/10 but I dont know if it has enough richness, maybe due to the glass resting. It’s still delicious though and one of those combinations of flavors I really enjoy.

This sample was provided to me free of charge with no strings attached.

48.5% abv, no lot number

Review #138: On the nose I get orange, banana, clay, wet wood, cream, provolone, vanilla, and parsley.
The palate has orange oils, clay, provolone, underripe banana, lime juice, milk, vanilla, bitter lemon, and lots of drying minerality.

This is tart and dry with a touch of funk. It has a solid citrus base with the other notes popping in and out. It’s not very creamy like some inaequidens, but I do get a mild funk similar to cheese. The finish does end a bit bitter for me, but it is has a great overall flavor that lasts.

This sample was provided to me free of charge with no strings attached.

49.6% abv, no lot number

Review #137: On the nose I get soft sweet cherry, overripe melons, mango juice, salty minerality, and acetone.
The palate has tart cherry, strawberry jelly, cooked banana pepper, ripe canteloupe, lemon, and vanilla.

I agree with JDB, this reminds me of La Luna Cupreata. It has a bit of a tangy flavor but also a softness that needs time to open up especially on the nose. It’s definitely a solid pour but a bit thin as nothing big stands out for me.

This sample was provided to me free of charge with no strings attached.

44.8% abv, didnt get lot number

Review #136: On the nose is vanilla, caramel, leather, sweet tobacco, and plum.
The palate has plum, raisin, luxardo cherry, vanilla, leather, and on to the finish with some sweet campfire smoke, cinnamon, and tobacco.

I had lower expectations for this, but it was actually pretty good. The sherry cask influence on this is fun. The agave is a bit overpowered by the sherry, so it’s not very mezcal-like, but I still like the resulting spirit as itself. There’s not too much wood age coming through on this compared to the sherry. Definitely worth trying a pour of to taste an interesting aged mezcal.

50% abv, batch DRMSM-02, glass rested 2 years and 11 months.

Review #135: Nose has marzipan, milk chocolate, brown banana, light brine, hay, caramel, licorice, honey, clay, and burnt hair.
Palate has caramel, milk chocolate, marzipan, clay, canteloupe, and honey.

This has a really nice dominant chocolate and nutty profile to it with accents of sweet fruits. I feel it was a bit one dimensional overall. It has a softness to it from the clay and glass aging that I felt made the secondary notes a bit too delicate. Besides that though, I’m always a fan of a well made chocolate forward mezcal and it has enough supporting notes to keep it great.

51% abv, series #7

Review #134: Nose is spearmint, sunscreen, fresh linen, pine, lime, leather, medicinal cherry, oregano, rosemary, and old motor oil.
Palate is pine, lime, spearmint, roasted herbs, leather, campfire, and old rubber.

This one took a while in the glass to grow on me. It’s on the citrus side with a bit of dirty brashness to it. It has a moderate smokiness but it isnt overwhelming, more just an accent to everything like the herbs and earth. A touch of a lactic element like sunscreen and the oil and rubber are weird but also interesting. It really opens up especially on the nose the more time you give it.

48.4% abv, Lote D14MUSA-22

Review #133: Nose is cucumber, jalapeno, pickle, lemon, molasses, roasted peanuts, and salted peanuts.
Palate has lemon, grapefruit, lime, and cucumber up front, then some fresh herbs, grass, and pickle, and on the finish some nuts and jalapeno.

This is a great ensamble. It feels heavy on the bicuixe from fresh brashness of it. It has solid complexity and acidity with the slightly bitter fruits. The nuttiness keeps this fun as it turns a touch dry as it gets to the finish.

50% abv, 2022 bottling, didn’t get lot number

Review #132: On the nose is bell pepper, creamy blue cheese, lime, jalapeno, watermelon candy, canteloupe, and bubblegum.
On the palate is watermelon candy, sweet tarts, lemon, lime, and mango, then turns more brash with black pepper, jalapeno, bell pepper, tobacco, and ash.

This has some nice layers on it. On the nose it’s more dominant on the vegetals and funky cheese with some underlying fruits. The palate is more fruits up front with a solid base of those peppers showing up more towards the finish. It’s pretty easy going and has a nice evolution of flavors. It has decent complexity but nothing too crazy, it’s just a good mix of flavors.

This review is just an impression of a small pour from a big Lamata tasting. No bottle info. Will update if I try again.

Review #131: lime, smoke, light dark chocolate, grass, peanut butter, peanut brittle, green beans, earthy.

This bottle is a banger! Soo rich in flavors, the mix of chocolate, peanuts, and earthiness nearly overwhelm you with their boldness. This was the first in the tasting, but i left some to come back to for the end after my palate was a bit fried and it was still just as good. This is not one to pass up on.

This review is just an impression of a small pour from a big Lamata tasting. No bottle info. Will update if I try again.

Review #130: evergreen, mint, pine, gasoline, grass, wax, juniper

This was kind of gin-like with the botanical flavors all going on. I found it interesting but wasn’t a big fan of it, but others around me did like it more.

This review is just an impression of a small pour from a big Lamata tasting. No bottle info. Will update if I try again.

Review #129: tasted like you sprayed perfume in your mouth, mossy, wintergreen

A strange bitterness and astringency. Definitely my least favorite of the tasting, although at this point my palate was a little worn out too. It certainty has a longer finish with that bitterness sticking around for me.

48% abv, lote HBG-PL/IX-22

Review #128: The nose has earth, grass, wet cement, cinnamon, burnt caramel, and petrichor.
The palate has earth, hay, grass, leafy greens, burnt caramel, cinnamon, milk chocolate, lime, salt, and the finish has coffee, dark chocolate, and lots of minerality.

This is really delicious. It is overall quite earthy and dark with great chocolate flavors coming through. Some light citrus, minerality, and green notes help keep a bit of balanced brightness to it so everything still shines. It’s just a touch drying overall for me to be really excellent, but I do love the strong profile.

47% abv, lote B0026TE9721

Review #127: Nose has pumpkin, leather, cinnamon, milk chocolate, wet dog, wet hay, almonds, and cotton.
The palate has pumpkin, leather, cinnamon, canteloupe, milk chocolate, almonds, provolone, light jalapeno and black pepper on the finish.

Well, this is probably the most different from any tepeztate I’ve tried. It has this really savory aspect to it that I really like. A bit of sweet funk keeps this fun and interesting and the finish does have some peppery finish to it to keep things a little brash. Not what I expected but I think it’s good stuff

46% abv, lote HNYIBJ, bottle(?) CGD

Review #126: The nose is quite faint, some eucalyptus, wax, and cinnamon.
The palate has candle wax, juniper, cinnamon, anise, vanilla, butterscotch, cream, eucalyptus, and pine.

I agree with the botanicals note Jonny said, it reminds me a lot of a gin. It has that weird soapy thing with this zingy taste like from juniper, eucalyptus, and pine. It’s interesting and fun but not for me.

No bottle info

Review #125: The nose has strawberry, vanilla, acetone, and clay.
The palate has strawberry, cherry, pine, fresh mint, bell pepper, light creaminess, and clay.

I found this super solid, especially for the price. It’s a bit thin and not very strong on its flavors, but it is so easy going and everything just tastes good. Can’t ask for much more for an entry level mezcal.