El Jolgorio Jabali

Edition 5 – 53% ABV
Nose – Carrot top greenery. Canned pears. Brand new leather gloves. Fresh pizza dough. Very interesting nose – tough to dial in – unique and enjoyable.

Palate – A mix of peppermint and white pepper heat throughout. Fruit cocktail cherry. Canned pear juice. Finish of wet tobacco leaf, a small bit of clay and a hint of dark chocolate. This stuff is great but definitely not an all-time mezcal. Possibly this 5th edition doesn’t hold up to the legend of its predecessors.

Edition 5 – 2020 Harvest – 53% ABV
This is one of the current highest rated bottles – so no pressure…. However, I hate to be the lower of averages, but this one isn’t all that. Def. not worth the price tag, so glad I only got a 2oz sample. Unique & intriguing smell. Taste is a bit hot yet subdued. Not overly complex, which is why it stays at a four rating for me. Some notes of fruity pear, candied, chalky. Pleasant aftertaste that burns nicely.
Review #122

Edition 04, distilled by Ignacio Parada. 2018 Harvest. Bottle 238 of 280 (75cl).

Evocative of spring. Fragrant, very floral : jasmine, rose water, sakura-scented fabric softener. Stone fruits like peaches and apricots, but also white grapes, apples, pears, lychee. White tea, Marie-Antoinette tea, all kinds of flower-based teas. However, hints of nail polish remover, wet paint and cold cigarette ashes boldly remind us that this is serious business and, fortunately, not a box of macarons from Ladurée that you bought at the airport.

On the palate it’s crystal clear, like spring water. Everything is there. Elegant, refined, limpid, dry, quite reminiscent of a Daiginjo. Still quite floral, but the more pungent notes give way to lumber aromas like sandalwood, pine cones and some waxed exotic wood. It’s flavorful and complex, yet dangerously approachable. The finish is as if you chain-smoked a pack of Marlboro Red after stress-eating that expensive box of rose petal flavored macarons that was actually meant for your mom.

It’s round and perfectly balanced. One of the best sakes, sorry, mezcals I’ve ever had.

Lote 081118EJ, Bottle 72/280 @ 2018
?- clear
?- pungent, drying & prickling impact.
Aromas of pear & apple, menthol, eucalyptus, horseradish, aloe vera, cedar wood, pepper, elderflower, honeysuckle, and leather.
Adequate & complex production.
Average length and ordinary character.
?- astringent effect with coating highlights; sufficient smooth alcohol; medium-full body.
Primarily sour & sweet taste, with bitter highlights; buttery smoothness.
Flavors of eucalyptus, menthol, ripe pear & apples, leather and wood.
Medium concentration flavor intensity, slight complex character, harmonious balance.
Pleasant and very long finish.
Very Good to excellent overall impression.

*It’s quite round, velvety and smooth, great balance, shows great craftmanship, nonetheless, not very complex. I expected so much more based on the hype surrounding these rare black Jolgorios…alas, will have to revisit. Hard toss between 4 and 4.5 for now.

Learn more about organoleptic evaluation at the International Wine & Spirits Guild’s seminar in Fine Spirits,
or more on Agave Spirits certifications through the Agave Spirits Institute.

Edition 03, Ignacio Parada, 2018. Black Bottle 94/275, 50.3% ABV.

My desert island mezcal and probably the most complex I’ve ever tasted. I could smell this forever…like another reviewer said, the nose is like black pepper cologne in the best way possible. Full-bodied palate explodes with different flavors including black pepper, hatch chiles, dried pineapple, and sandalwood. Super complex and rich yet dangerously drinkable. Medium-long finish of black pepper and something that reminds me of pineapple upside-down cake. Incredible Jabali and my favorite of the EJ offerings.

Edition 3 from 2018, bottle 134. This is everything folks say below it is. Super floral on the nose, with accents of pepper and spice. I want this in a cologne. Unbelievably smooth on the pallet, with spearmint and wintergreen coming through for me. Stone fruit and roasted agave play complimentary roles like Pippen and Rodman. Finish is memorably restrained after the symphony that proceeded it. Top 3 bottle, worth every bit of trouble to get, and one I’ll savor for what I hope is a long time.

Edition 02. Harvested in 2016 and released in 2017. Bottle 85/250. Wow! This is absolutely incredible. I’ve never tasted a mezcal quite like this one. It’s viscous to the point of almost being sticky on the palate with a full and rich body. The nose has aromas of old books, spearmint, and fresh basil. Tasting notes are across the spectrum: butterscotch, green apples, green grapes, anise, and fresh cut mint. The finesse and body of this mezcal are otherworldly. This is truly a nectar of the gods!

Down the rabbit hole!
With a scant 54 bottles produced in this batch, you might expect a degree of intensity but perhaps not this level of finesse. This rare jabali agave is richly extracted, lush and heady revving up at 100 proof. But for its entire vivid, immediate grip it flaunts also a structure of deft proportion; muscular and still finely balanced with a plush mouth-swirling viscosity. It is broodingly compact and concentrated yet quite smooth and with no hint of danger on the palate considering the weapons grade alcohol content. And there is just a delicate hint of the fire pit, dodging the obvious campfire perfumes apparent in many mezcals.
The bouquet is tight and closed with small hints of pear and dried herbs, straw, and then graphite, with an ominous backstage jiggle of seared fat.
On the palate, juicy celery rib gives way to an inherent salinity, and the white peppery piquancy of rocky hillside terroir. An oily bubble of sensual flavors, satisfying, mystical, and with a long simmering finish.