Nose – Honey. Squeezed lemon in soda water. Mild white cheddar.

Palate – Big lemongrass note. Fresh lemon and lime citrus. A smidge of queasy funkiness. Honey and medium smoke in the finish – I catch a tiny bit of dark chocolate to go with this in the aftertaste. Very good mezcal and wow, this has incredibly rich and booming flavors.

ABV – 42%
Nose – Quite a bit of caramel. Dried up grass. Slight ethanol.

Palate – Great thicker viscosity. Over roasted caramel. A little bit of orange creamsicle. This is an honest 42% ABV. A very nice espadin!
Rating: 3.75 stars

ABV – 47%
Nose & Palate – See above although the flavors pop even more (and a sharper, cleaner flavor).
Rating: 4.25 stars

Overall – both of these are rock solid!

Nose – I get mostly fresh roasted espadin. Red apples. Slightly funky. The blackberry is there in the background. Overall, a really nice nose though.

Palate – The mouth feel is amazing. The blackberry pops in the middle – it’s not too sweet, a little bitter actually (not quite ripe). I love the funkiness of this mezcal though to go with the fantastic agave sweetness. This is a pretty rich mezcal though, I love sipping on this but don’t think I could peg too many back to back (i.e. not crushable but better in spurts).

Nose – Ashy, campfire embers. Light cream cheese. McDonald’s vanilla soft-serve ice cream. Fresh grass.

Palate – Sugar in the Raw. Vanilla bean. Nice and sweet to kick things off and it stays steady. Ash and a pinch of salt in the finish to go with a campfire roasted marshmallow – creamy, sugary and smoky. Great Tobala!

Batch: AGU-CUC-001 Bottle: 651
Nose – Very fruity (Gala apple slices). For me, this smells much more like mezcal than sotol.

Palate – Starts off OK – quick fruitiness like the nose. Then it gets bitter and has unfortunate shades of Buckley’s cough medicine (if you know, you know). The smoke is a bit rough too. This all sticks around for a long finish and aftertaste. This one isn’t for me. 🙁

Lote: CI-05 Botella: 24 (2021)
Nose – Balanced damp soil and floral sweetness. Lingering mushroom scent.

Palate – Coats very well. Rose water. Powdered sugar. An interesting blip of lean meatiness in the middle, reminiscent of plain turkey jerky. A very long, dry, floral finish with ash and soapstone. This is a killer Karwinski!

Lot #: 21 (10/2019)
Nose – Fresh lime. Lingering sharp white cheddar.

Palate – Medium-plus viscosity. Lime Life Saver candy. A tiny kerosene note in the back of the mouth – it’s not unpleasant though. A little cooked, crisped cheddar like the bits left in a frying pan after making a grilled cheese. Martini olive salinity. Medium, clean smoke throughout. This is about a 4.25 star mezcal although I rounded down as it’s a tad pricey ($65-70). Still… a damn good Espadin!

Lote: DS010-T
Nose – Leather. Fresh cut green pepper. Icing sugar.

Palate – Roasted jalapeno with a gentle spiciness. Hot Tamales candy. Some Hot 100 cinnamon heat too. Leather and ash in the finish. Great mezcal!

Lote: A8 Botella: 480 (07/2020)
Nose – Papaya juice. Vanilla icing. Peppermint.

Palate – Peppermint breath mint. Sweet pickle. Cake frosting. I love Michoacan mezcal and this one brings it! It’s more sugary than the Alto/Cupreata ensambles I’ve tried but doesn’t overdo it. The maguey notes are balanced nicely with this sweetness and the smoke is just right. Greenspoint noted in an earlier batch that it tasted like it was punching higher than the ABV – good call and I get the same here. This is noted at 45.3% but to me it feels like 48-49% – but I ain’t complaining! 🙂

Lote: 31
Nose – Prominent, squeezed lemon and lime citrus notes. Lime Jolly Rancher. Pork jerky in the background.

Palate – Viscous. Lemongrass. Wood grilled, thin cut pork. Lemonade. White pepper heat. Anise. Quite a herbal smokiness in the finish. Pretty good pechuga (I really like the refreshing, citrus aspect) although the meat component was a little subdued and herbal notes on the back nine were a bit heavy handed.

Batch: JOS-MAN-001 Bottle: 27
Nose – Green mango fruit. Mango seed. A slight ethanol roughness.

Palate – It’s a mango explosion, no doubt about that. I really agree Rakhal’s description of this being the whole plant/fruit. But with that, to me it’s very unripe. In the finish there’s a nice, little spicy bump (white pepper). This has a mango fruity sweetness to it but it’s getting outmuscled by the bitter/green component. Overall, this is still a tasty spirit and damn unique. I’d recommend anyone to try it out.

Lote: 5
Nose – Cheesecake. Cool Whip. Both of these are a little funky but just the right amount. Dates. Aloe Vera.

Palate – Great medium-plus viscosity. Dates. Dried figs. Cheesecake batter. Half and half cream. Like in the nose, there is a funkiness to this but it’s so well-balanced. An excellent woodiness and light smoke in the finish. I’m a sucker for Durango cenizo and this one is a hit!

Batch: WHK-038
Nose – A big time fried grasshopper/insect note. Extra-roasted agave. Not getting any of the barrel aged notes in the nose. This reposado is incredibly light in color – nearly clear (only a tiny bit of yellow).

Palate – Some vanilla. Some oak. Sea salt. Honey. Paint thinner in the finish. I enjoyed the Wahaka joven espadin but this reposado in comparison is a big downgrade.

Nose – I can detect the meat component but cannot dial in which it is. This is very well balanced with the fruitiness. A tad bit of bacon fat. The slightest scallion note.

Palate – Fresh lychee. Papaya. Medium viscosity. Same as the nose, the bouquet of meats are there, none of which overpower the other. I thought the Don Mateo regular pechuga was good but this batch is next level. Jonny hits the nail on the head here – this is agave forward. I love pechugas like this where the added distilled flavors support the agave element. Maestra Vieyra… fantastic job!

Batch: FEL-PUL-001 Bottle: 814
Nose – Green and earthy like being in an agave field. Lemon/lime citrus. Vibrant and bubbly like soda water. Olive oil. Overall, the nose is pleasant and potent.

Palate – Coats the mouth very nice. Steamed bok choy. Breath mint sweetness. A residual cheesiness to it – reminds me of Kraft Parmesan shaky cheese. Black pepper and brine in the finish and aftertaste. I love this, one of my favorite Pulqueros for sure.

Nose – A halved, Reese peanut butter cup. Rose water. Big time oak barrel notes. This nose is better than many anejo tequilas – nice work!

Palate – A vanilla and toffee blast to start. A medicinal quality the whole way through. Spicy mint and white pepper heat in the finish. The aftertaste is exceptionally long. This was a 50 mL sample, no batch info. Overall, a nice, very clean tasting, aged spirit.

Nose – Swampy. Raw sour dough – extra sour. Old flower water left in a vase.

Palate – Floral and medicinal sweetness. A minty heat in the finish. Even for 40% this is a tad weak/watery tasting although it has some viscosity to it. I’m usually not into sotol but this is better than others at the price point. 2.75 stars but I’ll bump it up. This was a 50mL bottle sample, no batch info.

Nose – Baking spices, specifically nutmeg and cinnamon. A musty attic – somewhat moldy but somehow it’s not unpleasant as one would think with that description.

Palate – Flat Sprite soda. Dark chocolate. A meaty, mesquite flavor smoke in the finish. Oily but enjoyable texture. An excellent capon aging on this but not too much – very well balanced in that regard (i.e. optimal funkiness, ha!). This was only a 2 oz. sample but I’d definitely seek this out again for more – very tasty!

LOT: MLUA-0520-L08
Nose – Oaky, anejo tequila-like aroma. Vanilla. Picking up the slightest alcohol swab note. Besides that, the nose is pretty good.

Palate – Vanilla and oak. The smoke has a hint of burnt brake pad. Salted caramel finish. This is not near as rough as the joven and reposado – the extra aging is a significant improvement. This is a decent option for the price point although there are many anejo mezcals that are tastier (but pricier).

Batch: JOS-PEC-001 Bottle: 556
Nose – Dryer sheets. Baked (slightly burnt) rice pudding. The papalometl flavor is very present and the pechuga aspect is subtle but complimentary – great start!

Palate – Great viscosity, a little on the heavy side. Rice pudding sweetness and creaminess – yum! A trace of soapstone. Cloves. Some ethanol bite in the finish. I’m not usually a pechuga lover but this works for me. A big thumbs up to zeefarmer drawing the comparison to Indian food/desserts – totally agree and now I have a craving!