Nose – Old Dutch (??) Mexican Chili flavor potato chips (its uncanny!). Mesquite BBQ chicken wings.

Palate – A meaty and savory pechuga that I applaud because it doesn’t overdo it with baking spices and fruit. A slick, oily mouthfeel – another plus. Roasted poblano pepper. Dark chocolate, Lawry’s seasoning salt and mesquite smoke in the finish. This is great – it’s balanced to work with and enhance the typical flavors of the espadin. I’m usually not big on pechugas but this one is very well crafted and unique.

Lote: SMS002L/16, Bottle: 1079/1224
Nose – Lemon meringue pie – crust and all. Oak campfire embers.

Palate – Oreo pie crust. Dark chocolate the whole way in fact. Lime citrus. Pineapple. Rolling tobacco. Heavy ash and some clay in the finish (definitely not Sola de Vega funky which is a minor disappointment). Chocolate mousse notes sprout up in the aftertaste.

Nose – Catch a sweet, nutty note that’s like unwrapping an Eatmore candy bar (crushed peanut, soft toffee-like chocolate). Fresh red grapes. Then incredible floral notes I can’t pin point but this is one of the better nose experiences that I can remember. Exceptional.

Palate – Peanut butter cheesecake. Chocolate toffee. Finish is saline and floral with nicely balanced smoke. Heatwise it’s an honest 52% ABV. More of that Eatmore candy bar note from the nose comes through in the aftertaste (which is long and delicious). Man, this stuff is as-advertised and definitely top shelf material.

Lote: 00220
Nose – Ruby Red grapefruit juice. Baked pineapple and sugar glazed ham. Fresh sage. Squeezed lemon.

Palate – Tasty and meaty (Newfoundland salt pork). Overly floral. The smoke is reminiscent of a Santa Maria, CA style smoker slow cooked baby back ribs (a perk of living in the area). More thin than viscous. Overall though it feels like the ham/pechaga was WAY overseasoned with the “aromatic herbs, spices and seasonal fruits.” This is a case where less would’ve been more and complemented the ensamble (and meat) rather than overpowering it. It’s still good, glad I got a bottle to experience this, I’ll enjoy it but wouldn’t buy it again.

Nose – Fresh cut watermelon. Sweet Tarts candy dust. I get some of the Minas clay pot funk (and enjoy it!).

Palate – Welcoming viscosity (medium). Papaya (and a general tropical fruit sugary sweetness). The clay is present although not as much as I thought it would based on the nose. A bbq meatiness in the finish and aftertaste – charred, fire-grilled carne asada (seasoned generously with sea salt and white pepper). There is a lot to like here.

Nose – Sweet, musty earth. Butter and brown sugar. Celery leaves.

Palate – Brown sugar. Ajwa dates. Turkey breast and cranberry sauce. Artichoke heart. Apple and Pear sauce. Salinity in the finish that partially reminds me of the seawater left in an oyster shell (I see Azi mentioned that note already and I concur). If I did a blind tasting on this I likely would’ve said cuishe – this is still a rockin mezcal.

Lote: E-20
Nose – Thrill’s purple (soap) gum (from Canadian childhood). Tiny bit of sambuca.

Palate – Quite a bit of pine – needles and wood. Grapefruit citrus and rind. White pepper heat. Some black licorice in the aftertaste.

In Morelia I had this in some amazing cocktails, it seems to be stronger there than sipping on its own.

Nose – Sweet cream. Hazelnut.

Palate – Smoky white chocolate. A bit of orange citrus. An interesting minerality in the finish that I can’t pin point (subtle clay and salinity) and the white chocolate stays true. A fair dinkum 50% ABV – love the heat. The mouth feel is a bit thin but nevertheless this stuff is dynamite!

Nose – Cinnamon sugar. Pina colada, extra pineapple.

Palate – Delicious! A big bread pudding note. Grilled pineapple. Cinnabon cream cheese topping although a tad funky/sour (in a good way!). A bit of salted cod salinity/meatiness in the finish and the slight sourness persists. This description by zeepuzzler’s is spot on: “The mouthfeel is silky and astringent at the same time.”

This all sounds like an odd combination but it really comes together for me. I like this mezcal a lot.

Nose – Orange Creamsicle. A nice, funky creaminess in the background.

Palate – Great black pepper heat consistently the whole way. Lemon citrus. Rose water. Balanced smoke and salinity in the finish. This is a pretty awesome espadin the only knock is that I’m not getting enough sweet notes.

Lot: 29
Nose – Fresh squeezed lime. Encino smoke. A tiny bit herbal.

Palate – Black pepper and citrus. Thyme. Smoky yellow lemonade in the finish. Fruity, peppery and smoky aftertaste. To me there is more of an influence from the Azul but the Bruto lingers and adds value. Great stuff!

Nose – Perfect under lying floral notes. Fresh chopped wood ready for the campfire.

Palate – Very interesting sweet flavor I can’t pin down, it’s what I imagine some flower-flavored Jolly Rancher to taste like. Encino smoke and Cherry Loops candy in the finish. The flavors don’t totally jive with me but this just feels like an exceptionally crafted mezcal.

Nose – Vanilla cake. Lingering leather.

Palate – Vanilla pudding pop. Fennel. Quite soapy (rose fragranced) in the middle. Burnt grass and a fading floral sweetness in the finish. The menthol aftertaste is long but laced with that rose bath soap note that it can’t shake. A bit rough for what I’m used to from Mal Bien.

10/28/21 Update:
Tried the rest of this sample I had and it was much better. Less menthol and soapy. Pretty nice but still not an all time Jabali.

Nose – Dried Granny Smith apple. Cotton candy. A subtle note of sweet onion teriyaki sauce lingers.

Palate – Deliciously sweet to start then it fades after several seconds. A heavy smoke uptick in the middle and through the finish. Grass, felt pen, umami notes and some bitterness on the back end of this.

Nose – Red Twizzlers licorice. Warm cream cheese on cinnamon toast.

Palate – Big blast of cinnamon sugar and allspice. A funky-lactic cheese cake. Grilled corn husk. Charred hickory brown sugar BBQ sauce and chicken breast skin – delicious! This stuff is off the hook!

Nose – Caramel. Charred pork fat.

Palate – Caramilk candy bar (Canadians will get the reference). Sea salt. Rubber band. Oaky smoke. Lemon ginger herbal tea. Icing sugar in the finish. The aftertaste is exceptionally long – a good minute or two of bond fide, morphing flavors (i.e. clay, rose petal, cocoa). Overall, a pretty frickin’ awesome espadin- insane complexity as Rakhal noted.

Nose – Cream cheese. Cake frosting.

Palate – Quite sweet to start. Grape Kool-Aid crystals. Mint leaves. Dried cherry. Grassy finish that feels like it starts to get a bit dry but not overly. White wine and cocoa in the aftertaste. The whole experience is very smooth, flavorful and balanced!

This was a 1 oz sample this go around and I’m left really wanting more. A good sign plus indicates there are many more layers to this I haven’t peeled away yet. Excellent product!

Edition 5 – 53% ABV
Nose – Carrot top greenery. Canned pears. Brand new leather gloves. Fresh pizza dough. Very interesting nose – tough to dial in – unique and enjoyable.

Palate – A mix of peppermint and white pepper heat throughout. Fruit cocktail cherry. Canned pear juice. Finish of wet tobacco leaf, a small bit of clay and a hint of dark chocolate. This stuff is great but definitely not an all-time mezcal. Possibly this 5th edition doesn’t hold up to the legend of its predecessors.

Nose – Crushed pineapple. Cream soda. Banana cream. Smoky oak. An incredible sweet, dessert-rich nose.

Palate – Ripe banana. Vanilla milkshake. A very, very nice viscosity. Finish of cinnamon candied apple slices, fine leather and cigar wrapper. Man, so much going on here. Aftertaste of cherry vanilla 7up. This is high quality and complex – amazing stuff!

Nose – Warm roasted ballpark peanuts, shells and all.

Palate – The nuttiness continues – caramel, candied peanuts. Apple juice. Overcooked poblano pepper. Smoke flavor is a bit rough – a slight chemical/industrial tinge (that I’d pick up in a cocktail espadin mezcal) that suprised me for the three maguey involved. Picking up on the dryer sheet aspect many noted but not in a positive way, I think this adds more to the slight chemical component that I wasn’t a fan of.