Maguey Melate Espadin Chacaleño – Carlos Ángulo Rios

Nose: Very bright and sharp, full of chalk, limestone and minerals. Very green, like waking up in a tropical rainforest. Invigorating and promising.
Palate: Hmmmm. I can’t tell if it’s still fresh and mineral or rubbery and medicinal. There’s menthol, not mint, menthol.
Finish: Long, lemongrass and menthol. Can’t tell if I’m licking a piece of chalk or powdered latex glove. Is that wet cement, a whiff of burning plastic?
Overall: I don’t know man, at least it’s not boring. My first impressions were pure disgust but with significant time I’ve come around a bit. I don’t think it’s flawed, just wild and not a good fit for my palate. 3 stars for challenging me, but not one I’d pour for a friend without a disclaimer.

Batch CAR-CHO-001. Bottle 750. One of my favorites from MM.
The nose is dark and sweet like black plums and overripe cherries. I also get notes of oily roast chicken thighs, clay, sage, and some kind of leathery funk (think old baseball mitt).
The palate is thick and rich in the mouth. I agree with the forest honey flavors others have found. I also get mole, unsweetened chocolate, black pepper, sea foam, and a nostalgic plastic note (like a sunbaked pool toy).
I can’t stop coming back to this one and, anxious about drinking it too quickly, recently bought an extra bottle from MM’s website.

This one really changed a lot after multiple tastings and lots of oxygen. At first it was super hot and wild and not particularly pleasant but now I think it’s delicious. The one flavor note that stands out the most for me is honey. Not the super sweet honey that comes in a plastic bear, this is like wild dark rich forest honey. I’ve never tasted this in a Mezcal so strongly before. There’s also an unusual flavor that tastes to me like the way a blow up camping mattress smells right out of the box. Weird but I like it.

Batch CAR-CHO-001, 49.9%
First Mezcal in a little while, so bear with me.
nose: distant sage, fresh concrete, slate, white chocolate? one of the more subdued i’ve had from MM
Taste: orange peel, salted watermelon rind, salt spray, slate, white pepper.

Pulled back and extremely clean; the quality is undoubtedly there. There is perhaps a slight burn, but otherwise drinks smoothly. Not the most interesting or unique from MM, but tasty nonetheless

Edited after a bit of time open and not after a long hiatus from agave. This is delicious, and once again a pulled back and refined bottle from MM. Everything I said before still stands for me, but something else has come out to play as well. A slight smokiness and a super duper dark, vegetal honey (i once had “avocado” honey, where the bees only really had access to pollen from avo plants. dark as molasses and vegetal. This is like that. A distinctly non commercial honey vibe). MM continues to delight, and has non stop superb bottles. Can’t wait for the next batch

Dropped the rating on 9/30/21. just not loving it right now