Cuentacuentos Espadin en Barro is produced by Ángel Cruz Robles in Sola de Vega, Oaxaca. This mezcal is sweet, with a hint of vanilla and tree nuts.
About this mezcal
Cuentacuentos Espadin Ancestral is produced by Ángel Cruz Robles at his small palenque which is hidden in the forest high in the Sierra Sur mountains outside of Sola de Vega, Oaxaca. Once harvested, the agave is cooked for 72 hours in a traditional underground horno and then milled by hand with a wooden mallet in a canoe. It is then naturally fermented in 8-9 days and doubled-distilled in clay pots. Spring water is used to adjust the spirit to approximately 48% ABV. His espadín is a good example of what technique can render from the commonly used agave Angustifolia. It is sweet, with a hint of vanilla and tree nuts.
Cuentacuentos
Cuentacuentos curates small-batch traditional mezcals and destilados de agave from producers across the state of Oaxaca. Cuentacuentos released its first 6 mezcal expressions in 2018; future releases from the brand will change over time and include non-certified mezcals. The logo and bottle artwork (by artist Cesar Ruiz Conseco) features an opossum or tlacuache in Spanish. The tlacuache on the logo is El Viejito, the little old man opposum who stole mezcal from the demons as a service to humanity. The tlacuache ranks with the jaguar, eagle, and burro in importance in Zapotec, Taina, and Mexican mythologies. The Cuentacuentos motto is Mezcal brings people together, stories make us friends.
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JDB
165 reviewsAngel Cruz Robles ABV 46.36% July 2020 Lot# ACR033
Nice creamy mouthful, a bit of that Bubbalicious bubble gum, a nice lemon grass note, a flavor that reminds of an artificial sweetener like aspartame, a mix of cherry and strawberry in there as well, and a bit astringent and acidic on the back end. Just a hint of the clay pot distillation. A nice espadin, good as a sipper and potentially in a cocktail. (3.75/5)
tallchad
103 reviewsCall me old fashioned, but sometimes just put your “boring” espadín in a clay still, say a prayer, then send me a bottle of what comes out. This is good stuff! Aroma is light perfume with strawberry cream, green mangoes and stone fruit–plumb or peach, I can’t decide. The taste is different than the aroma: mild, sweet and a little funky. The finish is good and lingers a while intensifying the mild sweetness. ARC033 jul 2020
RyeAmLegend
37 reviewsLot: ACR033 ESP-A July 2020
Big tropical bubble gum nose. Mellows out fairly quickly with a more vegetal, green aroma. Lumber yard and a unique spice. Plum, raspberry, mango, kiwi. Bubble gum spices and herbs – ginger, cardamom, cotton candy artificial “Blue Raspberry”. It’s rather sweet smelling. Lemon verbena, stevia. Clover and violets.
The fruity and sweet nose is not present at all on the palate. Bitter, sour cherries. Tart. Cigar ash, tobacco leaves. The floral notes bring a dried tea flavor. Leaves, kindling, a touch of hay. Definitely changes to a more bitter profile with hints of those tropical flavors catching the sides of your tongue. Flavored tobacco. Maple, cherry wood. Hazelnuts. Faint orange blossom water.
A lingering murmur of smoke on the finish. Earth, gravel. Toasted spices – Nutmeg, pink peppercorn, dried ginger. Again, just wisps of fruit when you exhale after a sip. Unripe strawberry. Cinnamon, coriander, nutmeg. Lime and diet RC-Cola.
This honestly is a great mix of flavors except for this back and forth sweet to bitterness that I experienced. Compared to other Espadin I’ve had, this is outstanding. On it’s own, it’s just not that strong of an expression to me. Will have to revisit this one and perhaps try more from this producer.
Lot: ACR033 ESP-A July 2020
Big tropical bubble gum nose. Mellows out fairly quickly with a more vegetal, green aroma. Lumber yard and a unique spice. Plum, raspberry, mango, kiwi. Bubble gum spices and herbs – ginger, cardamom, cotton candy artificial “Blue Raspberry”. It’s rather sweet smelling. Lemon verbena, stevia. Clover and violets.
The fruity and sweet nose is not present at all on the palate. Bitter, sour cherries. Tart. Cigar ash, tobacco leaves. The floral notes bring a dried
Rakhal
421 reviewsACR033 ESP-A. First time I sipped this one there was an initial barnyard funk that reminded me of some Raicilla‘s then it quickly morphed into sweetness. Martinelli‘s apple juice, vanilla frosting, yellow starburst candies, clover honey, and orange Creamsicle. Some white pepper in there too. This is really good.
COak
228 reviewsIf you’ve never had clay distilled espadin try this. Great expression of clay. Has that slate, it’s earthy with dark fruit.
Jonny
705 reviewsI’ve tried a few releases from this producer and they’ve all been really solid. The aromas of this espadin are very sweet: vanilla, honey, and sweet corn. The palate has notes of flan, rice pudding, honey comb, and eggplant. This is interesting as it has some very high sweet notes, mixing with more rootsy, earthy notes. Medium viscosity. No batch number on this sample. This is a solid espadin.
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsMarch 2022
Lot ACR033 ESP-A (Distilled July 2020)
Nose – Orange gummy bears. A tiny bit of funky clay. Pork jerky.
Palate – Punchy, hot for 46% but still pleasant. Orange citrus. Celery leaf. Long finish of clay, tobacco leaf and creamy vanilla. Straight forward & classic espadin notes with a great addition of the clay minerality. I usually like hotter mezcales but this may be a bit much for the average palate though. Still, I’m a fan!
Rating: 4 stars
June 2021 – No batch info.
Nose – Gala apple slices. Magic marker. Cold, shredded rotisserie chicken.
Palate – Packs a wallop of a punch with beaucoup orange citrus sweetness, smoke and heat dialed in just right. This quickly softens and I really notice the clay in the finish. An interesting espadin – definitely better than most.
Rating: 4 stars
March 2022
Lot ACR033 ESP-A (Distilled July 2020)
Nose – Orange gummy bears. A tiny bit of funky clay. Pork jerky.
Palate – Punchy, hot for 46% but still pleasant. Orange citrus. Celery leaf. Long finish of clay, tobacco leaf and creamy vanilla. Straight forward & classic espadin notes with a great addition of the clay minerality. I usually like hotter mezcales but this may be a bit much for the average palate though. Still, I’m a fan!
Rating: 4 stars
June 2021 – No b
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsHas more heft to it than most espadins. Old newspapers, coffee beans, a strange celery flavor to finish. Not what I was expecting
El-Dawg
209 reviewsLote: ACRO16, Bottle 179, May 2018.
Solid clay espadin! In fact one of my favorite espadins to date…probably couldn’t have guessed the agave type in a blind tasting. It’s very sweet, flowery, and well rounded. Full mouth feel and viscous. Honey and orange cream. Smoke and clay are in check, and work together beautifully. Very excited to try more from Cuentacuentos. Also, seems like all reviews here are tasting the same batch, which is cool and shows it’s well liked.
Review #2: ACR033 – Equally good, and I guessed this one blind based on the smell alone (tangy, sweet apples). Taste is still very tangy, sweet, with light smoke. Balanced & a delicious espadin. This LOTE is more of a 4.25.
Review #83/#149
Lote: ACRO16, Bottle 179, May 2018.
Solid clay espadin! In fact one of my favorite espadins to date…probably couldn’t have guessed the agave type in a blind tasting. It’s very sweet, flowery, and well rounded. Full mouth feel and viscous. Honey and orange cream. Smoke and clay are in check, and work together beautifully. Very excited to try more from Cuentacuentos. Also, seems like all reviews here are tasting the same batch, which is cool and shows it’s well liked.
James
9 reviewsThis is spectacular. Sweet nose, vanilla, honey, tobacco, and earth. Subtle hint of brine on the tongue, caramel, with a balancing layer of clay to round out and ground the palate. I can’t get enough of this, and can’t wait to try the Ancestral Coyote by Ángel Cruz Robles. Lote: ACRO16, Bottle 352, May 2018.
Tyler
641 reviewsThis producer makes incredible mezcal. His Coyote en Barro blew me away years ago and recently I’ve been able to try this and the Arroqueño. The flavor profile is very consistent with lots of pumpkin spiced clay, mint, milk chocolate, and cantaloupe. The balance of clay spice really makes this mezcal memorable. Lote: ACRO16, Bottle 144, May 2018.
Foster
10 reviewsLote: ACRO16, Bottle 121, May 2018. Definitely a sweet espadin but different than others I have tried. Can tell the clay impacts the taste but in a positive manner. Taste of orange and vanilla with a pine aftertaste.