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Bozal Ensamble

Bozal Ensamble is made with cultivated maguey Espadin and wild maguey Barril and Mexicano. It’s slightly smoky with lots of herbal tones.

About this mezcal

Bozal Ensamble is made with maguey Espadin, Barril, and Mexicano. The maguey Barril and Mexicano in this mezcal are both harvest from the wild, while the maguey Espadin is cultivated. This ensamble is slightly smoky with an herbaceous undertone that rests on the center of the palate. Citrus and floral notes from the Barril are introduced and strengthened by the warm viscous finish of the Mexicano. This ensamble is produced by three different mezcaleros (Fermin Garcia, Lucio Bautista, or Don Adrian Bautista) from two different towns (San Dionisio Ocotepec or Ejutla de Crespo). Check your bottle for details.

Bozal Mezcal

Mezcal Bozal is a craft, artisan, handmade Mezcal. They celebrate the wild side of the Mezcal world and the wild agave used to produce such rich spirits. They use agave from the steep precarious hillsides of Oaxaca and Guerrero that are indigenous to the region. These varietals produce flavors that are exotically intense, with rich earth tones and savory smokiness. From the heart of the maguey these flavors are traditionally extracted to produce mezcal that is wildly refined.

Member rating

3.55 out of 5

50 reviews

GMAD

GMAD

68 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars1 month ago

00123, 47%, 200ml

Nose – Grassy and vegetal; pretty fresh. Like the produce section at the market, some subtle fish sauce, gasoline, barbecue sauce, and some wet dirt. Very intoxicating!

Palate – Punchy and peppery. White pepper, ginger, mint, vanilla, cinnamon, pencil shavings. This is spicy but surprisingly refreshing – expect a bit of heat to it, which I’ve noticed in all my Bozal tastings so far.

Finish – A bittersweetness; grapefruit and mild Serrano pepper.

Very nice, I like it. It has a unique flavor, probably due to the Mexicano. So if you’re a fan of that Maguey be sure to give this a taste. I’d say this is a good mid-range sipper given its widespread availability. The first sips were hot! I suspect some time in the bottle will really help bring this out. The 200-sized bottles look really cool.

00123, 47%, 200ml
Nose – Grassy and vegetal; pretty fresh. Like the produce section at the market, some subtle fish sauce, gasoline, barbecue sauce, and some wet dirt. Very intoxicating!
Palate – Punchy and peppery. White pepper, ginger, mint, vanilla, cinnamon, pencil shavings. This is spicy but surprisingly refreshing – expect a bit of heat to it, which I’ve noticed in all my Bozal tastings so far.
Finish – A bittersweetness; grapefruit and mild Serrano pepper.
Ve

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chrisjburt

chrisjburt

2 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars3 months ago

Smooth. Light smoke. Slightly sweet.

JDB

JDB

159 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars4 months ago

Did not catch the batch number. Used to buy this ensemble when mezcal selections were slimmer a few years back. Still solid and flavorful. Lots of buttery flavors, good heat, dryness from the mexicano, a little bitterness from the espadin, and some floral and woody notes from the barril. Holds up well even though it is mass produced and widely distributed.

Bicyclerider

Bicyclerider

1 review
Rated 4 out of 5 stars4 months ago

Slightly sweet, fruity (citrus) and a very gentle smoke. Like it.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars4 months ago

Always good for the price. Sweet, citrus, nothing offensive here.

Average José

Average José

54 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars8 months ago

* Lot No: 00622
* NOM: 0472X
* ABV: 47%

Nose is semi-sweet vanilla and acetone; slightly floral. Not offensive but not very interesting either.

Rougher and hotter palate than I was expecting (and wanting) – bitter spices, pipe tobacco, paprika and peppercorn.

The finish also remains hot – green chili, hay, cinnamon and a bitter Mexicano note. Not my favorite Bozal and even at only $52/L I likely won’t be purchasing another bottle.

Jose M. Aguayo

Jose M. Aguayo

11 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars11 months ago

Nose: Floral
Taste: cinnamon, smoke, citrus, acidic

Ranger_Ryan

Ranger_Ryan

44 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars11 months ago

Lot 00322
I really liked this at times, and just thought it was ok at others. The Barril adds sharpness, grassy. Smoke is evident. Good for the price.

Chad W.

Chad W.

11 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars12 months ago

Lot #622

Nose is roasted nuts and firewood

Taste is some umami up front with a citrus-y acidic coldbrew coffee to follow. Some minerality notes and finishes on the smokier side.

Great intorductory mezcal but any price above $50 is a bit steep.

peastman

peastman

2 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars1 year ago

This one is “just ok” for me…with a great smoky taste but a long way from the smoothness of the Pechuga Bozal – however this one is ~$60/bottle in my area.

Sverhage

Sverhage

7 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars1 year ago

Really dig this for the price point. Excellent quality to price ratio.
Tasting note: Citrus, lime, attractive nose, fresh, alive.
Buy again- Yes. Though I prefer the middle tier, Cenzio in the teal bottle.

Love Bozal ceramic bottles- they are a piece of art.

Maguey: Espadin, Barril y Mexico
Pueblo: Miahautlan y Etla
Estado: Oaxaca
Classes: Joven
NOM: 0472x
Lot number: 00222
Alcohol: 47%

Mezcal Mike

Mezcal Mike

29 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars1 year ago

Lot 00122. Before I got to the store, even as I pulled into the parking lot ostensibly to search for other wares, I had convinced myself that my initial attraction to this bottle was superficial. Perhaps overcome with optimism given my other finds, I erred on the side of adventure and scored this solid flavor. Nothing fancy, and I’d probably not replace it for the price I paid for it —$54.99— but it does deliver a relatively robust punch that settles nicely but does not linger too much. Worth a taste and I’m satisfied with my choice.

Lot 00122. Before I got to the store, even as I pulled into the parking lot ostensibly to search for other wares, I had convinced myself that my initial attraction to this bottle was superficial. Perhaps overcome with optimism given my other finds, I erred on the side of adventure and scored this solid flavor. Nothing fancy, and I’d probably not replace it for the price I paid for it —$54.99— but it does deliver a relatively robust punch that settles nicely but does not linger too much.

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Forpowder

Forpowder

77 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars1 year ago

Lot 322 47% Pueblo M. Y Etla. Aroma from the bottle reminds me of sweet pouch tobacco leaf and nail polish with a lemon-like scent to it. The flavor reminds me of green grass, Sage with a nice balance of smoky bitter cactus.

Zbourgraf

Zbourgraf

1 review
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

Sweet at the beginning but stiff at the end. Great volume type of drink. Would drink again.

Jonathan Lockwood

Jonathan Lockwood

13 reviews
Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

Although I live in Mexico, I’ve been seeing this Bozal posted by a number of mezcal aficionados in the US lately. While visiting my daughter in the US a couple of months ago, I found it at Trader Joe’s for only $36.99. Hmmm?

For those of us who are pretty experienced with mezcal, we can often tell whether a distillation is worthwhile. Not always, true. But if it includes—not only Espadín—but also some wild agaves, such as in this case Barril and Mexicano…AND if they let the grado go up pretty high, (in this case 47%,) normally its worth checking out.

Not so much with this one I’m sorry to say.

Is this special? No. Is it disgusting? Also no. Is it actually worthwhile? If I had a bottle of this at home, I would give it away–to someone who didn’t know any better. But if I found myself removed against my will from my beloved Mexico–and if it were the only mezcal for miles, I’d drink it. Salud.

Although I live in Mexico, I’ve been seeing this Bozal posted by a number of mezcal aficionados in the US lately. While visiting my daughter in the US a couple of months ago, I found it at Trader Joe’s for only $36.99. Hmmm?
For those of us who are pretty experienced with mezcal, we can often tell whether a distillation is worthwhile. Not always, true. But if it includes—not only Espadín—but also some wild agaves, such as in this case Barril and Mexicano…AND if they let the gr

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Justin.Anderson3

Justin.Anderson3

14 reviews
Rated 3 out of 5 stars3 years ago

LOT 03620

Nose is sweet, grassy and slight cheese at the end. The mouth is a medium body, strong finish, very smoky this batch. I enjoyed this one, but there are better ones out there. The barril flavor on this one is very dominant than the other agaves. I would drink again. Not bad.

SoloAgave

SoloAgave

86 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Not sure how Bozal makes anything on these expressions but for $40 its a winner. Good heat, cooked agave, slight spicy complexity, but overall very agreeable. Seems like this bottle is everywhere recently: Trader Joes, Whole Foods, and cocktail bars.

Leif

Leif

8 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

a decent offering from bozal in the ensamble variety. while i normally prefer my ensambles to consist of 100% wilds, this majority espadin ensamble has a nice light and sweet characteristic. the grassy taste of the mexicano comes through in the bottle i had. would like to try another batch and compare

meserole

meserole

73 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Needed something for mixing cocktails to avoid the impulse of pulling from my $100+ collection, and an ensamble of mexicano, barril, and espadin for only about $48 caught my attention. I know I’ve had some of their more expensive single agave variants before but not this one.

Hot and boozy on the nose, with the creamy, slightly detergent/perfume flavor that I’ve come to associate with Mexicanos.

Not super complex, but very pleasant, and a good way to show folks new to mezcal that “smokiness” is merely one possible flavor that mezcal can offer. (None of that here).

Probably 3.5 stars in a vacuum but I can’t help but factor in a good value and I think this is one. That fancy bottle makes for a good gift too 😉

Needed something for mixing cocktails to avoid the impulse of pulling from my $100+ collection, and an ensamble of mexicano, barril, and espadin for only about $48 caught my attention. I know I’ve had some of their more expensive single agave variants before but not this one.
Hot and boozy on the nose, with the creamy, slightly detergent/perfume flavor that I’ve come to associate with Mexicanos.
Not super complex, but very pleasant, and a good way to show folks new to mezcal that “smoki

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Wanderingspider

Wanderingspider

53 reviews
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

LOT: 01719

Nose- definitely a bit hot and volatile, brown sugar, vanilla, roasted maguey and a bit of a gingerbread thing going on. Also classic bubblegum?

Palate- some spice (cinnamon), lime zest and…wet but not moldy cardboard. Boozey with this sort of alkaline finish.

Not flashy but reminds me of mexico.
This score on this page I would say is very accurate for this particular bottle

In between a 3.5 and 3.75 for sure.

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