The second mezcal in an incredible tasting at Madre (Hollywood). Very floral on the nose and palate with a big burst of bubble gum on the back end. The flavors were sharp and so, so, soooo Miahuatlan. I usually prefer Bicuixe from there in smaller proportions in ensambles but this was great on its own. Shout out to MLR, James and Ivan who were in on this fabulous tasting.

This was the first mezcal in a significant (bordering on legendary) tasting at Madre (Hollywood) and what a kickstarter! This bottle was aged in glass with very soft sweet, starchy (candied yams) and leathery notes. Loved this! Hat tip to MLR, James and Ivan who were along for the ride.

Subtle and smooth for a Guerrero mezcal. Floral, slight, slight cheesiness, a hint of peppermint. And a friend picked out a white chocolate note, which I agreed with after the fact. This is my 500th review with mezcal besties top bloke MLR, James $$$ and the legendary Ivan Vasquez which took place at Madre in LA (Hollywood). Amazing mezcal shared with unmatched friends. Salud!!!

Lot: HBLZI Bottle: 179 (48.6% ABV)
Nose – Sour apple candy. Dry asiago cheese.

Palate – Very light initially for near 49% ABV but then the flavors burst through and last. Peppermint candy. Red apple. A light white chocolate note. Mint leaf in the finish. This was one of my favorites at Mexico in a Bottle (San Diego) and I’m really glad I found this bottle for my collection – a smooth, very tasty sipper.

Nose – Grassy. Rock candy. Vegetal spiciness of the tepeztate is there.

Palate – Dry grass. A juicy gala apple note. Hint of provolone. A marvelous sugary-sweet, ember finish. Great flavors and not at all hot for 51%. On its own this is a 4.5 star mezcal but it still sells for $200+. The previous reviews are over four years and is this time there are equally great ensambles (w/ tepeztate and/or tobabla) that are lower in price (i.e., much better value). That said, 4 stars based on price. But if you get a chance to try it, do! It’s still verrrrry good mezcal. Bottle: 1149/2000

Batch: SER-CHU-001
Nose – Twizzlers red licorice. Chicken jerky. A slight sanitized hospital note.

Palate – Poppyseed cake. Cherry and light cream. Both pine and oak wood notes. Dry, sweet and tangy finish. Solid!

This one is alright; I quite like it! This later Maguey Melate batch by a different mezcalero (Sergio Martinez Rodriguez) seems like a level up versus the previous batch from a couple years back.

Batch: FED-ESP-001
Nose – Dessert tart crust. Nail polish. Horse saddle. Coconut oil.

Palate – Bubble gum jellybean. Dried dark cherry. A bit lactic. A sweet, ashy finish that goes on for a while with a fair amount of ethanol burn. A bit hot for 45% and not a tasty heat at that.

Lot: CM-ET-0821
Nose – Raspberry tart. Felt marker. Splenda.

Palate – Vanilla. Nutmeg. Clove. A bit hot for 45% and light on flavor. Goes watery in the finish and the residual ethanol that comes through with some lasting cigar ash.

Lot: CM-ME-1
Nose – Vanilla. Light oak. White bread dough. Subtle ethanol and Magic Marker notes.

Palate – Really nice woodiness which is the highlight. Vanilla bean. This is a decent economical ensamble but the weak part is that the sweet component is kind of artificial with a tad bit of ethanol heat in the finish.

Batch: FED-CUP-001
Nose – Sour green apple. Very light basil. A hint of fresh nail polish.

Palate – Funky baked Granny Smith apples. Syrupy brown sugar. Cedar chips. Overall, sweet, funky and sour. I only had less a 1 oz. sample to try but quite enjoyed this.

Lot: 1
Nose – Honey. White chocolate. Allspice. Flower petals (can’t nail down which kind of flower).

Palate – Funky lemon meringue – a sour combo of the filling and topping. Light potpourri. Some tri tip seasoning saltiness and spice in the finish. A crazy amount of flavor for 42% ABV – this easily tastes like a high 40’s ABV agave spirit without the heat. Very nice!

ABV: 50.92% (Tahona Mercado Exclusive Batch)
Nose – Fruity. Subtle clay. A sweet, medicinal note that reminds me of a grape cough medicine (that I actually liked) when I was younger.

Palate – Raisinets, clay and campfire ember the whole way. Insanely long finish. This was only a 1 oz. sample and I found it straight forward (maybe not enough to dig into any complexities I missed). Delicious though!

Batch: ABE-TOB-001 (Bottle: 250)
Nose – A hot ceramic oven. Grape Nerds candy. Vanilla.

Palate – Thin and light to start, flavors kick in after a couple seconds. Creamy – but a bit off / sour. A barnyard, hay funk to it. Rubbery and grassy finish. This tobala doesn’t do it for me.

Lote: 1
Nose – Sea salt. Fried green bell pepper. Powdered sugar.

Palate – Cocktail onion. Anaheim pepper. Melted white sugar. A tiny hand soap note. Spearmint heat, hot finish. Very sharp flavors. Pretty good tepeztate.

Lote: 49
Nose – Icing sugar. Tad bit of toffee. Grassy.

Palate – White chocolate. Cinnamon bun. An artichoke vegetal note. A very long – sweet and grassy – finish. I picked this up for less than $50 in California. Great value for this quality mezcal.

Nose – Sambuca. Light cream. Chicken soup broth and chopped celery.

Palate – A complete anise bomb to start. It took a couple sips for the other flavors to take hold. The meat component is like a BBQ’d chicken breast marinated for days in Jägermeister which goes well into the finish and aftertaste. Finish is also dry. All said, I happen to like Jägermeister, so I like this. But I can see how it may not be everyone’s jam.

This was a 1 oz. sample from Tahona Mercado SF.

By Gregorio Martinez Jarquin
Nose – Light lemon zest and pine sap. Vanilla. Fizzy Sprite. Aromas are fruity and sweet – nice!

Palate – Slick, oily entry. Bitter in the middle. Vanilla bean. Mesquite chips. Tasty woody, BBQ and… again… fizzy Sprite soda in an exceptionally long finish. This all comes together for me and really works. 👌

Seems like I enjoyed this pechuga better than most. It’s not way over spiced (or too infused fruity) like many pechugas out there, IMO. One of the better ones I’ve tried. I’d say 4.25 stars but rounding down due to price.

This was a 2 oz. sample from mezcal homie, MLR. Salud, amigo! 🤠

Batch: HER-TEP-001 (Bottle: 115)
Nose – Peppermint. Fresh jalapeno flesh. Lemon peel.

Palate – On the sweet, sugary side for a Tepeztate but still so good. Green grapes. Oak embers. Not detecting the usual vegetal flavor notes either. Vanilla cream and a nice, dry finish. This just frickin’ works!

Batch: ROD-PEC-001.
Nose – Fruit Loops cereal. Orange citrus. Picking up more espadin than the pechuga components but it’s quite nice.

Palate – Bitter entry. Heavy, almost syrupy, black licorice flavors. Big banana runt candy note. Dry finish. Vanilla and oddly enough, shrimp shells, pop up in the aftertaste. Disappointedly, I get no trace of the intended meat. The aromas on this are great but the ever-important flavors just don’t land for me.

Batch: DEE-JUL-001
Nose – Dates. Brown sugar (a lot!) and oatmeal. Funky clay (although it is copper distilled). Vibrant, funky and sweet aromas – love what I’m smelling here.

Palate – Brown sugar bomb. Tasty, gamey venison. Fig newton cookies. Celery leaf. Sprinkle of anise. Mouth feel is very thin, but the flavors are potent. Long, meaty and again, brown sugar for days in the finish. Lemongrass comes in the aftertaste.

This pechuga may not be for everyone but it’s for me. I love when I’m able to taste the meat. The slight downside is that this pechuga is potentially overly sweet (brown sugar explosion) which throws the balance off a bit. All said though, I really enjoy this.