Cinco Sentidos Papalote is produced by Benigno Sánchez who has been making mezcal for over five decades.
About this destilado de agave
Cinco Sentidos Papalote is produced by Benigno Sánchez. He’s been making mezcal for over five decades, three decades at his own fabrica, the first in El Peral. As a first generation producer, he works with his son to pass on what he has learned and is very well respected by his peers in the village.
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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GMAD
96 reviewsBATCH: CERRITO 1, 46.7%, BOTTLE: 107/150
Nose: Cheesy and funky; vinyl, rubber, baby powder, and some creamy funk, like cream cheese and sour cream.
Palate: Woody with subdued citrus; grapefruit, a mouthful of orange rinds, some honey and sugar cane for sweetness, ginger, tamarind, some darkness like grapes and plums, and a lot more bitterness, like raw nuts.
Finish: This is bitter and dry, a lot of woody bbq notes and barely leaning towards bittersweet; some vanilla, a lot of bitterness, like chewing on mango peel, but I get a lot of savoriness too, like beef brisket.
Cool, but ‘meh’ for the price. I’m always down for a store exclusive, but this just fell flat for me. I mean it’s good and I’m committed to the bottle: relegated to ‘daily’ status. However I expected a little more pizazz, especially coming from a high-caliber brand, with a store-pick, at a high-end price… Let’s have this sit for a few months and come back for a revisit…
BATCH: CERRITO 1, 46.7%, BOTTLE: 107/150
Nose: Cheesy and funky; vinyl, rubber, baby powder, and some creamy funk, like cream cheese and sour cream.
Palate: Woody with subdued citrus; grapefruit, a mouthful of orange rinds, some honey and sugar cane for sweetness, ginger, tamarind, some darkness like grapes and plums, and a lot more bitterness, like raw nuts.
Finish: This is bitter and dry, a lot of woody bbq notes and barely leaning towards bittersweet; some vanilla, a lot of bitterness, like
Jonny
717 reviewsBatch from March 2016, exclusive for El Cerrito Liquor. Aromas of brown sugar, baked goods, green apple, pear, allspice, and nutmeg. The palate is thick and robust. Notes of plum, pomegranate, white onion, clove, and a bit of burning sage. The finish is long and dry with hints of freshly baked sugar cookies. This is sweet, dark, and delicious. This is one that I’ll be reaching for again and again. A fantastic spirit.
JDB
182 reviews46.7% abv, Batch; Cerrito 1 Bottle: 24/150 March 2016 distillation, 160 liter batch, rested in glass for five years, bottled in 2022.
Great to see individual liquor stores and bars get their own mezcal batches, glad this trend is starting to pick up with other producers and brands (I realize that practice for bourbons and whiskies has been happening for a while). This bottle was an exclusive to El Cerrito Liquor Store in Corona, California. The nose has a bit of incense smoke, like a rich burning wood as well as caramel green apple and burnt sugar. This expression has some great flavors: sweet cooked agave straight from the horno, sour plum and cherry, a bit of teriyaki beef jerky, overripe persimmon, and pink bubblegum. And on the backend of the flavor profile, there is some interesting herbal green notes like chives or green onion. Really complex and a great sipper. Definitely worth the price at $130 (and checking online, these exclusive Cinco Sentidos batches at Old Town and elsewhere are priced at the same price point so you are not going to get taken for a ride). I definitely recommend that you seek out and taste some of these exclusive batches at a bar or mezcaleria if they have them. Star rating is closer to a 4.75/5 for me.
46.7% abv, Batch; Cerrito 1 Bottle: 24/150 March 2016 distillation, 160 liter batch, rested in glass for five years, bottled in 2022.
Great to see individual liquor stores and bars get their own mezcal batches, glad this trend is starting to pick up with other producers and brands (I realize that practice for bourbons and whiskies has been happening for a while). This bottle was an exclusive to El Cerrito Liquor Store in Corona, California. The nose has a bit of incense smoke, like a rich b