Palomas Mensajeras Alto is produced at that the lake-side Palomas vinata in the community of Oponguio, Michoacán.
About this destilado de agave
Palomas Mensajeras Alto is made with Agave inaequidens in the lake-side community of Oponguio, Michoacán. This is a product of maestro vinatero Don Miguel Perez Resendiz and his sons Miguel (jr) and Melltón. The agaves are cooked in an underground pit oven and milled by a mechanical shredder that the family made from a converted 1978 Dotson car engine. The agaves are then fermented with open air wild yeasts in earthen pits that are lined with oak planks. Finally the agave is distilled in a Tarascan (aka Filipino) still.
The first batch of this imported into the US was distilled in March of 2019 and aged in glass for 4 years and 2 months.
Palomas Mensajeras
Palomas Mensajeras is produced by the Perez family in Oponguio, Michoacán which is situated on the banks of the beautiful Lake Pátzcuaro. The brand was officially established in the early 2000s, but the family has been producing mezcal for 4 generations. It is a true family operation with every family member playing a part in the production and day-to-day operations.
Learn more:
- Flying through paradise with Palomas Mensajeras on the Mezcal Reviews blog
Review this bottle
Login or create an account to add your tasting notes
KyraNicole
57 reviewsBatch 03/19; bottle 639/761
butter on the nose; vegetal at first then opens up and starts to taste like rubber/ alcohol
jackstraw
34 reviewsbatch: IN-03-19
abv: 48.5%
limeade, tennis balls;
ripe tropical fruits, spices;
flowers, forest floor;
clay, wood, ash
#31
Gfunk
23 reviewsSuper lemon-lime bomb. Mix with 7-up and you wouldn’t know it’s there (not that I’m advocating for that). Extremely easy to drink, very light and bright
Finish is just a slightly muted/leathery citrus. Very nice
tallchad
103 reviewsThis one is incredible if you like earthy goodness from Mayahuel!
The aroma is all earth and soil.
The taste is sensational with more dark earth, mushrooms, and light floral aspect that keeps the forrest from dominating.
The finish is the best part with building heat combined with great balance and that earthy flavor. Long, and each flavor takes a bow as the curtain comes down.
El-Dawg
211 reviewsCottony, cream, “alto” funk taste. Carries through w/ some heat and jerky notes. Little funky. Not as much sweetness as I’d anticipated (or want). Get that new tennis ball smell that Rakhal mentioned. Comparing side-by-side w/ the Chino and I prefer this one (3.75).
Rakhal
421 reviewsMmmm. I sure do love Michoacán Alto! Taste reminds me of how a new can of tennis balls smells. Also green onion, and celery salt with a spicy cayenne pepper finish.
COak
229 reviewsBatch: March 2019. Smells of green apples, and oranges. On the palate I get orange creamsicle, and sour gummies. The finish is not as good as I’d hope it’s a bit bitter as previously said which lowers it a tad on my score. Overall it’s tropical and tasty.
Jam
156 reviews48.5% abv, no lot number
Review #138: On the nose I get orange, banana, clay, wet wood, cream, provolone, vanilla, and parsley.
The palate has orange oils, clay, provolone, underripe banana, lime juice, milk, vanilla, bitter lemon, and lots of drying minerality.
This is tart and dry with a touch of funk. It has a solid citrus base with the other notes popping in and out. It’s not very creamy like some inaequidens, but I do get a mild funk similar to cheese. The finish does end a bit bitter for me, but it is has a great overall flavor that lasts.
This sample was provided to me free of charge with no strings attached.
48.5% abv, no lot number
Review #138: On the nose I get orange, banana, clay, wet wood, cream, provolone, vanilla, and parsley.
The palate has orange oils, clay, provolone, underripe banana, lime juice, milk, vanilla, bitter lemon, and lots of drying minerality.
This is tart and dry with a touch of funk. It has a solid citrus base with the other notes popping in and out. It’s not very creamy like some inaequidens, but I do get a mild funk similar to cheese. The finish does end a bit bitter
JDB
165 reviews48.5% abv 2.5 ounce sample
Nose: Latex, sand and gravel, sea foam, and cooked sweet rice
Taste: Drying mouthfeel, one of the driest altos that I have had. Oatmeal, pine, heat, light salinity,, tart Valencia orange, dryer sheet, slight minerality. After being open for a while, I got some anchovy.
Not as big a fan of this as others, this expression was super dry for me. That tends to be a quality of altos, and having had some other offerings from Oponguio (the brand) and this was much drier than their seco. I do like inaequidens in general and this one is worth sampling.
48.5% abv 2.5 ounce sample
Nose: Latex, sand and gravel, sea foam, and cooked sweet rice
Taste: Drying mouthfeel, one of the driest altos that I have had. Oatmeal, pine, heat, light salinity,, tart Valencia orange, dryer sheet, slight minerality. After being open for a while, I got some anchovy.
Not as big a fan of this as others, this expression was super dry for me. That tends to be a quality of altos, and having had some other offerings from Oponguio (the brand) and this was much drie
Ben P
110 reviewsNose: nice tangy notes, oranges, limeade, rindy and leathery undertones
Palate: wow this is terrific, mango creamsicle, delicate and citrus, herbs like lemongrass and sage, slate minerality moving toward the finish. Finish is white pepper, cinnamon, some minerality, and charred lime. It’s a long one and as it sits it almost becomes creamy lime. Love it
This is my favorite of the Palomas and probably one of my favorite I’ve tried. It has the leathery and citrus notes I expect from an Alto but not overpowering. They are integrated well with some other fruit and minerality present.
This sample was provided to me with no strings attached. The above is my honest review.
Nose: nice tangy notes, oranges, limeade, rindy and leathery undertones
Palate: wow this is terrific, mango creamsicle, delicate and citrus, herbs like lemongrass and sage, slate minerality moving toward the finish. Finish is white pepper, cinnamon, some minerality, and charred lime. It’s a long one and as it sits it almost becomes creamy lime. Love it
This is my favorite of the Palomas and probably one of my favorite I’ve tried. It has the leathery and citrus notes I expect from an Alto but
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsNose – Arnold Palmer (not the man, I never got close enough to have a whiff, his iced tea and lemonade drink). Charred oak.
Palate – Starts off slow, almost a 3 second delay thinking: this is pretty light. Then: POW! Bold key lime pie (extra sweet and citrus) flavor (and a tad creamy) Medium viscosity. Celery leaf. Dried black currant. Long finish of dried fruit, wood ember and sweet citrus.
Fan-f’n-tastic mezcal!