Cinco Sentidos Papalometl is a small batch mezcal from Santa Maria Ixcatlan, Oaxaca, Mexico. The agave used in this mezcal are mashed by hand and fermented in rawhide before distillation.
About this destilado de agave
Cinco Sentidos Papalometl is made with maguey Papalometl. The agaves are mashed by hand with wooden mallets. Once mashed, it is fermented with spring water in rawhide, and then double distilled in clay pots. The first batch of this mezcal to reach the US was 250 bottles. This initial release was in 2017. The ABV of each batch varies slightly.
Notable batches:
- PM01 – 220-liters
- PM02 – 220-liters
5 Sentidos
5 Sentidos (or Cinco Sentidos) is named after the five senses that their mezcaleros use to produce their agave spirits. The producers of this mezcal do not use any model machinery or tools, being guided only by their senses throughout the production process. The brand was launched by El Destilado restaurant in centro Oaxaca. The restaurant is known for it’s creative menu, unique cocktails, and exception agave spirits. The brand is a curated tour of Mexico with a wide range of expressions that are made by some of the best mezcaleros in the region. Cinco Sentidos is uncertified mezcal and is labeled as “Destilado de Agave”.
Learn more about 5 Sentidos:
- Cinco Sentidos and El Destilado on Mezcal Reviews
- Santa María Ixcatlán: Rawhide Fermentation with Amando Alvarez on Mezcal Reviews
- What’s in A Name? on the K&L Wines Spirits Journal blog
Review this bottle
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Zack Klamn
542 reviewsNose – Funk of old, sharp cheese and aged meat. Notes of icing sugar.
Palate – The queasy funkiness that I associate (and love) with a 50+ day aged, well-marbled ribeye steak. Peppermint. Sea salt. Smoke from an oak campfire. The cow hide fermentation really comes through in the nose and palate. This is pretty steady from start to finish. Very unique, very tasty! This was a 2 oz. pour at Destilado in Oaxaca on May 28, 2021 (No batch info). Rated it: 4.5 stars.
Nov. 6, 2021 Update – Procured a bottle of this from Tahona Mercado (Batch: PM05-18).
Nose – Cheesy funky, slightly smoky goodness. Powdered sugar.
Palate – Crushed mint. Slightly bitter. Lean aged beef (not marbled and fatty like the previous review). Oaky smoke. Flavors aren’t as explosive as I remembered but still an awesome mezcal. Rated it: 4.25 stars.
Nose – Funk of old, sharp cheese and aged meat. Notes of icing sugar.
Palate – The queasy funkiness that I associate (and love) with a 50+ day aged, well-marbled ribeye steak. Peppermint. Sea salt. Smoke from an oak campfire. The cow hide fermentation really comes through in the nose and palate. This is pretty steady from start to finish. Very unique, very tasty! This was a 2 oz. pour at Destilado in Oaxaca on May 28, 2021 (No batch info). Rated it: 4.5 stars.
Nov. 6, 2021 Update
meserole
73 reviewsBarnyard funk, leather, minerals, acetone, grass. Like a mixture of a mechanic shop and a barnyard. Super intense and flavorful, but not really my cup of tea.
Tried at El Destilado restaurant in Oaxaca City.
t8ke
144 reviewsSweet on the palate, lots of celery salt, mango, honey. Side of roasted potato, beef bouillon and celery. Weird and fun, meaty, savory and a hint of fruits like kiwi.
Weird, interesting, certainly unique. This has a bit of everything in a really fun way.
TheAgaveFairy
169 reviewsOverall very similar to the infamous Farolito Papalometl tasted next to it, soft, herbal with a mintier lift, light cheese, a touch less of the associated hide notes. More fruit forward than the above, also lemon and other yellow bright fruits, perhaps golden apple, some vanilla.
A little brighter, more identifiable as A. Potatorum in the fruits and floral tones presented like violet candies. A similar development, with a longer and sweeter finish, showcasing a little more minerality.
Brighter, easier, a little more intense on flavor even at the lower proof.
Overall very similar to the infamous Farolito Papalometl tasted next to it, soft, herbal with a mintier lift, light cheese, a touch less of the associated hide notes. More fruit forward than the above, also lemon and other yellow bright fruits, perhaps golden apple, some vanilla.
A little brighter, more identifiable as A. Potatorum in the fruits and floral tones presented like violet candies. A similar development, with a longer and sweeter finish, showcasing a little more minerality.
Brighter,
pallzley
16 reviewsPM02, 111/268, 44.3% abv
This was my least favorite 5 Sentidos when I first tried it, and now 4 months later from my closet, is up there with the best. It was just too… grapefruit-pithy. Even though I prefer this one neat, friends loved the palomas made with this.
Full nose of perfumey pepper, leather, volcanic rock. Taste is sweet and saline like soy sauce and grapefruit juice at the same time. Less-sweetened Pocari Sweat to black leather mid palate, slate, boiled pink peppercorns (undried) leading to grapefruit pith, agave, sand, and saline in that order. Like with all 5 Sentidos I’ve tried, finish is loooooong.
PM02, 111/268, 44.3% abv
This was my least favorite 5 Sentidos when I first tried it, and now 4 months later from my closet, is up there with the best. It was just too… grapefruit-pithy. Even though I prefer this one neat, friends loved the palomas made with this.
Full nose of perfumey pepper, leather, volcanic rock. Taste is sweet and saline like soy sauce and grapefruit juice at the same time. Less-sweetened Pocari Sweat to black leather mid palate, slate, boiled pink peppercorns (undrie
Brad
3 reviewsBatch PM02, 44.3%. Smells of hot rotting fruits (in a good way), musty, leathery with a slight salinity. Medium light bodied. Tastes dry, leather, smarties and smoke. While this mezcal is good, it just seems to lack any flavors or tastes that are outstanding. For what it cost I’d pass next time.
Tyler
668 reviewsThick mouthfeel. Makes me think of a leather bound book. Pechuga adjacent, maybe from the cow hide? Very interesting mezcal with notes of asparagus. Batch PM-03. 44.5%. Bottle 132/256.
Jonny
730 reviewsBatch PM-03. 44.5%. Bottle 132/256. Subtle aromas of meat and uncooked flour but very light on the nose. Super thick and viscous on the palate. I’m swimming in this stuff. Great mouthfeel! Palate has notes of aloe vera, green tomatoes, old leather, and decaying raw meat, like the smell of a dead animal (but in an oddly pleasant way!)
Rorschach
43 reviewsWhat mezcal is to me- PM02. I went out and bought a bottle of PM03, bottle 179/256.
I think the PM03 is a little cleaner tasting than PM02. PM03 doesn’t have a noticeable cowhide note. Too pricey to buy again.
Rakhal
430 reviewsPM03. Cheese funk, like aged cotija. Tropical fruits. Pineapple, guava, soursop.
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsOne of the more different Potatorums ive had. Fruit punch throughout, very little bite on the back end. Smooth capri sun type mezcal
Nic Hnastchenko
109 reviewsBatch PM01. Coming in at 45.4% Confirmed Tobala is still my favorite agave and 5 sentidos my favorite brand. But this was just so smooth.
thamthong
47 reviewsbatch PM02, 44.3% abv, 152/268. 4.5 stars. didn’t get a chance to read or take a picture of the back label. earthy, barnyard funk runs rampant on the nose much like the 5 sentidos sierra negra, though not as intense/complex. it’s the top note upon entry but quickly morphs thereafter. starts leathery and gives way to lovely tobala fruitiness. fun to drink, very nice. a little thin on the palate though and perhaps suffered by comparison to the other two i drank this next to (5 sentidos sierra negra and bicuixe-madrecuixe).
batch PM02, 44.3% abv, 152/268. 4.5 stars. didn’t get a chance to read or take a picture of the back label. earthy, barnyard funk runs rampant on the nose much like the 5 sentidos sierra negra, though not as intense/complex. it’s the top note upon entry but quickly morphs thereafter. starts leathery and gives way to lovely tobala fruitiness. fun to drink, very nice. a little thin on the palate though and perhaps suffered by comparison to the other two i drank this next to (5 s
rsidrys
50 reviewsI was blown away when I found out that I could buy such a rustically produced “agave distillate” here in the US. One would expect to have to trek personally into the countryside of Oaxaca to find a treasure like this. Needless to say, I went into this bottle with very high expectations.
To be fully honest, once I cracked this open, my initial impressions were not the greatest. I found it light, subtle, and having too much alcohol presence. BUT PLEASE READ ON….
I stuck with it, and over a period of a few weeks it was like watching a flower bloom. What I get from it now is totally different from my first samplings. One thing I like is how the nose, mouth, and finish are very consistent. There is a brininess mixed with fruit (berries, melon, etc…) that I get throughout, especially in the mouth. There’s also hints of freshly conditioned leather, mostly on the nose and finish (not sure if that’s just a mental thing knowing how it’s fermented). The finish also has a lingering minerality which makes me wonder how I ever thought this was subtle. Granted, it’s not in your face like some mezcal, but it’s a gorgeous spirit. A key takeaway from this: LET YOUR SPIRITS BREATHE!
I was blown away when I found out that I could buy such a rustically produced “agave distillate” here in the US. One would expect to have to trek personally into the countryside of Oaxaca to find a treasure like this. Needless to say, I went into this bottle with very high expectations.
To be fully honest, once I cracked this open, my initial impressions were not the greatest. I found it light, subtle, and having too much alcohol presence. BUT PLEASE READ ON….
I stuck with it,