Sampling kit (50 mL) w/ ABV of 46.4%.
Nose – Smoky ‘n sweet turkey jerky. Mint jelly. Lime citrus. Capers. Green peppercorn.

Palate – Woof! The nose had so much promise but this tastes like a poorly made industrial espadin. To me there is no evidence of cowhide fermentation or typical papalometl flavors specific to this area. A big disappointment.

Nose – Smoked gruyere. Sprite soda. Parmesan cheese.

Palate – Shaved asiago cheese. Dark chocolate and chocolate mousse together but more so in the background. Serrano pepper level heat hits midway but fades quickly to a pleasant level. I love the clay notes in this, most that I really enjoy are sweet whereas this is a unique savory-forward minerality. A lasting funky smokiness in the finish and aftertaste. Very nicely done!

Nose – Soft, perfumed and rosy to start. I caught a wet soil note in there too but then it disappeared completely. Egg white. Grand Marnier orange candied liqueur but fresher.

Palate – Rosewater with a stronger, cologne tinge to it. Orange jellybean. Swedish Granite Snus (chewing tobacco), chili mango and especially peppermint heat in the middle that lasts long into the finish. This is obviously a quality mezcal and this is still a great rating (4 stars) but my experience doesn’t quite match the legend that is Mezcalero 22.

Nose – Kneading raw sourdough. Yeast. Lemon poppy seed cake. Sweet cocktail onion. Bouquet of violets. So much going on here – I’m intrigued!

Palate – Creamy, funky, a bit sour and tasty smoke. A hint of fish oil. A very long finish of mesquite, umami and vanilla. I typed this out and it sounds absolutely nuts – this shouldn’t work but it does! This one is a win for me.

Batch: IX/2020 Bottle: 110/120
Nose – Sweet and floral. Wet, gardening soil. Slight vanilla bean. I love how this smells, very inviting.

Palate – Flower petals galore through the entire journey. More wet soil like in the nose. Graham cracker sweetness. Drying effect in the middle. A nice, surprise spiciness (a subtle vegetal, hot pepper) pops through in the finish and a fair bit of smoke. Overall – a pretty solid Karwinski.

Batch: X/2020 Bottle: 61/96
Nose – A mix of Creme Soda and Sprite. Cheesecake base. Crabgrass.

Palate – Thin mouthfeel. Grassy. Cookies n’ Cream sweetness but I found myself digging a little too deep to find it. A distinct dryer sheet note in the finish. Dry aftertaste with a nice salinity. Instead of sweet and creamy like tobala mezcales I tend to enjoy, this is grassier, smokier and saltier in comparison.

Lote: 6 Botella: 428/720 Fecha: 04/19 ABV: 48%
Nose – Insane funky nose – I’m getting Kraft Dinner absolutely loaded with bleu cheese. A big kimchi note as well.

Palate – Great mouthfeel and the there was a second or so delay until the flavors hit. Flamed orange peel. The predominant note is a very toasted (almost burnt) extra aged/sharp white cheddar on toast – left in the salamander a bit too long. Pickled carrot/garlic. Cooked green pepper. Roasted green peas. A sambal oelek note but not near as spicy. Elevated smoke in the finish as well as beaucoup sea salt. I’m usually a fan of funky mezcales but this one doesn’t do the trick. Just OK.

Sampling kit (50 mL) w/ ABV of 49.2%.
Nose – Very lactic – sweet but a tad sour.

Palate – Identical as the nose – sweet cream with a bit of sourness to it. Medium viscosity which dissipates quite quickly (i.e. thins out fast, doesn’t hold the thickness). Definitely not hot, sips easy at 49%. The smoke comes heavy in the finish – like a burnt processed cheddar and over-charred creme brule. This is interesting, I’ve had worse Tobalas but this just doesn’t quite piece it all together.

Batch: XBP19-19 (Basilo Pacheco) Bottle: 3410/4800

Nose – Sharp, tingly sugariness. Orange Creamsicle (a bit less orange popsicle and tad more cream). Gala apple slices.

Palate – Woody… charred mesquite and a nice, slight oak barrel note (although this is clearly joven – no pun intended). Baking coconut shavings. Black peppercorn. Medium viscosity. Good smoky, salinity and sweetness balance in the finish. A fair bite for 49% ABV, you get what you pay for. I really dig this mid-range (priced) espadin.

Sampling kit (50 mL) w/ ABV of 47.6%.
Nose – Aloe Vera. Powdered sugar on pancakes. Grilled nopal. Orange rind.

Palate – Vanilla frosting. Lime rind. Garden succulent (Yes I ate one, I was curious). Soap bubbles (a lingering soapiness in the finish as well). Overall: Sweet, very green but the smoke is a bit harsh. This one is alright but not mind blowing – I’m not running out to buy a whole bottle (i.e. glad it was a sample).

Nose – Very grassy. Shitake mushroom. Liquid hand soap.

Palate – Icing sugar sweetness. Vermouth. A slight jalapeño pepper spiciness. A floral soapiness to it. Not great value here for a sipping mezcal.

Nose – Banana. Medium smoke.

Palate – Vanilla extract. Very smoky finish – a tad rough/industrial. For a cocktail mezcal, it’s decent.

Nose – Melted brown sugar. Unripe banana. Mild parmesan cheese.

Palate – This capon isn’t as funky/harsh as some others I’ve tried. Great heat, feels a tad under the 51% what it’s clocked at. I can really pick up the brown sugar and especially dates (that Rakhal mentioned in his review). This stays beautifully sweet (and a cinnamon spicy heat) the whole way, long into the finish. This gets seriously better the more you sip it – amazing!

Nose – Pine wood sap. Some pine smoke (like having a Christmas tree burning event in the distance).

Palate – More pine sap. Junior mints. Roasted yams. Thin mouthfeel. Martini olive. Dry finish with a nice smoky flavor. A tasty mezcal but not mind-blowing for me.

Nose – Banana custard. Vanilla. Welcoming smoke to go with the sweet notes.

Palate – Smoky Pina Colada. Really nice finish – notes of a fruit cocktail cherry (I’d always save that for last), dried chili mango, Camembert, coal dust and balanced smoke/salinity. Pretty awesome stuff!

Nose – Light smoke and leather. Cantaloupe. Hint of pork jerky.

Palate – Sweet (Orange Julius) and grassy at first. Finish and aftertaste lose every notion of sweetness and wildly turn to a fascinating balance of campfire smoke, leather, hay, more grass and a lip full of chewing tobacco (and goes on for a solid minute). This feels like it has mucho masculine qualities – if I was old enough to have this in the 80’s, my grandpa woulda said: “Drink it, boy. It’ll put hair on your chest.”

This is one of the more interesting mezcals I’ve tried – great work!

LOTE: MVR0620
Nose – Half and half cream. Strawberry shortcake. Light ethanol.

Palate – Grape Kool-aid. Honeydew melon. Not getting much of the pechuga elements. The smoke profile in the aftertaste is a bit rough (i.e., metallic / industrial) though. But the more I sip it, it seems to get a little rougher each time. All in all, this sips fine – good not great. It’s a leg up on cheaper cocktail mezcals in the $30-40 range. The tobala adds a nice element to it and it’s around $50.

Batch: V/2020 Bottle: 153/340

Nose – Fresh sweet roasted agave. Orange citrus.

Palate – Vanilla bean. Subtle grassiness. Smooth, sweet and smoky to the finish. A nice bit of salt rounding out the aftertaste with a tiny baking soda note. Very clean! All in all this is a quality, textbook espadin sipper, fairly priced at about $60.

Nose – Alfalfa sprouts and wet soil. Rubber Band-Aids. This stands out as it’s got a slight funky smell (sort of blue cheese like) compared to Madrecuishe mezcals I’ve had in the past.

Palate – The underlying sweetness for me is definitely cherry-flavor Fun Dip (brings me back!). Fresh and quite floral as well. Mouthfeel is thin. The smoke is light. Not gangbusters, but overall it’s pretty nice.

9/28 update: This bottle got better with a bit of air – actually more funky/barnyard – but very enjoyable.

Nose – Sweet, funky cheese cake base.

Palate – Two aspects of funk here: one (a sourness) from the extra-aged capon espadin and the other from the clay. Together they work well although I’m usually already a fan of both on their own.

Notes: Roasted sugary agave. Savory smoked chicken fat. Champagne.

Pretty darn good stuff here.