5 Sentidos Espadin Capon

Batch CAP 08-21c
Bottled Feb. 2022

200ml
ABV: 49.0%

I love these small bottles, a great way to sample various mezcal from 5 Sentidos.

Nose: At first a very light smoke, then a sweat agave, tropical fruit, a bit funky in a good way, rain water.

Palate: Sweat agave, orange, guava, a funky old truck tire mineral taste which is interesting not bad or off putting.

Finish: Sweetness fades very slowly into a mineral terroir

A really enjoyable Espadin Capon !! Tasty but not boring.

batch capsn 12-20, 52.5% abv

Review #35: Mossy, clay, mild grassiness, wet earth, wet sweet smoke, wet wood, wet hay, fresh rain, sea spray, overall a musty wet-ness to everything, iodine and rubber reminding me of a peated scotch, after opening up and tasting for a while i get some burnt caramel, peach, and melon.

This is very earthy and it does it so well. I would have never expected myself to enjoy the soil so much, haha. After enjoying and adjusting to the earthiness you start to pick up more delicate fruit flavors underneath it all. Big and bold but it has some secrets to uncover

Batch: CAP01-19 Bottle: 118/355 48.1% abv

Was first exposed to this particular 5 Sentidos offering at Damian in Los Angeles in April 2021 and really enjoyed it. I then went out a purchased a bottle at Ramirez, and this bottle has been such a chameleon. The capón aspect can really intensify the sugars and sweetness, and this one definitely is a sugar bomb, however it does have some of those over-the-hill qualities or like overripe fruit, it can hit a bit of champagne vinegar or even funk or rottenness. It makes it hard to review because it goes back and forth for me, being super sweet and delicate and then overpowering and off-putting. On the nose it does have a slight funk to it but tons of burnt sugar/caramel/roasted sugarcane as well as wet earth from a recently tilled field. The flavors are a combination of heavy cinnamon syrup, toasted almond, and artificial sweetener (yes, it is that sweet). In addition, it seems to be a little effervescent. One review mentioned vomit or sweaty feet, and it hits on that too. Looking over the other reviews, it seems like there is a wide divergence in flavor profiles (except for that cinnamon note/red hots/Dentyne ) and a bit of funk. I would recommend sampling it if you can find it a bar, but at $110 a bottle, you may want to hold off until you try it.

Batch CAP03-21, 47.9%, 220L
Nose: Vivid, bright and complex. Prominent ripe agave. Floral, vegetal, fruity. Incredibly fresh. Notes of trampled hay and barnyard. The smoldering remains of last nights campfire.
Palate: Slightly sweet, perfectly balanced again. Perfectly ripe, perfectly roasted agave flavor at the forefront. Orchard fruits, peaches, plums, cactus fruit, guava. A hint of fresh farmers cheese or clotted cream.
Finish: Long. Thoughtful. Invigorating.
Overall: Perfect mezcal from the best of the best. Signature notes of bucolic, luscious barnyard and a caress of clay pot character. Senor Martinez does it again. I would probably still take the Sierra Negra as my “desert island” bottle but this Espadin Capon might be a better showcase of what I consider to be the unique, quintessential flavor of agave.

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!

Batch: CAP01-19
Nose: Aggressively funky at first – sweaty feet and vomit. After a long while it subsides into stanky Swiss cheese over roasted pineapple and caramelized onions. Bittersweet herbs/spices as well, including sage, fresh cut grass, red pepper flakes and orange pith.

Palate: Sweet candied agave develops into musty fruit candies out of an old purse, ripe Swiss cheese, herbs from the nose and silty soil. Medium-full, syrupy body.

Finish: Sage and musty smoke, then turns back to Swiss cheese with honey. Winds up in baked agave and minty herbs. Medium length.

Thoughts: When I first poured this, the sweaty funk was pretty alarming – but eventually it settled down into a somewhat less off-putting ripe cheesy odor. Other than that flaw, it has a mustier, honeyed profile than the vernal baked agave I usually get from Espadin.