Palomas Mensajeras Chino is produced at that the lake-side Palomas vinata in the community of Oponguio, Michoacán.
About this destilado de agave
Palomas Mensajeras Chino is made with Agave cupreata 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 3 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
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Gfunk
23 reviewsNose starts off with a heavy rubbing alcohol vibe, smells hot. Initial taste, very pleasant, kind of spicy but smooth. Can’t quite place the main flavors. Made my lips numb. Further sips were more medicinal, harshly herbal. Finish was pretty long, but more of the harsh herbal notes.
A very strange sip. Really evolved, but not always in a positive direction.
tallchad
103 reviewsSpicy and delicious! More like 3.75 out of 4 stars. I can’t get past the spiciness of the taste! YEOW! Everything else is sensational here.
The aroma has tropical fruit, salt water taffy and river rock. Really great!
The taste is SPICY. Not hot with alcohol (which is perfect) but red Chile peppers that build in intensity. There is also stone fruit, pine needles–an overall fruity tang that is wonderful.
Paul Atreides on the planet Arrakis would agree: The finish is long and keeps the spice flowing.
Review #100
Spicy and delicious! More like 3.75 out of 4 stars. I can’t get past the spiciness of the taste! YEOW! Everything else is sensational here.
The aroma has tropical fruit, salt water taffy and river rock. Really great!
The taste is SPICY. Not hot with alcohol (which is perfect) but red Chile peppers that build in intensity. There is also stone fruit, pine needles–an overall fruity tang that is wonderful.
Paul Atreides on the planet Arrakis would agree: The finish is long and ke
El-Dawg
211 reviewsSweet sugary smell. Strong alcohol in initial taste (with a chlorine like harshness) followed by some sweetnees. Drier taste / ashy finish that I don’t normally like w/ my mezcals (like a Cenizo). Some leather, pepper, earthy and a little funky. I can see why some people really like this, but these tastes aren’t really my favorite. 3.25
Review #204
Rakhal
421 reviewsSweet concentrated flavors. Brown sugar, oak, dark chocolate, medjool dates, black licorice, and roasted plantains.
overproofmonk
3 reviewsFor the price this is a stunner – easily as fascinating as some $100+ bottles out there.
On the nose there is salt, sweet, and spice all interplaying; peanut brittle, mango, piquín pepper, and a little smoky bacon fat. It pulls me in and I just want to stay there forever.
Palate definitely throws more of that meaty/bacon fat thing, but also a little wet stone/slate quality after you adjust to it. And some sweetness really comes out with a little air, but never so much that it dominates, just stays right there curbing the intensity fo the savoury side. My first mezcal from these folks and it’s totally awesome.
Also, for the cheeseheads out there: GREAT PAIRING for an oozey, mushroom-y soft cheese, like a Pierre Robert or Jasper Hill Harbison!
For the price this is a stunner – easily as fascinating as some $100+ bottles out there.
On the nose there is salt, sweet, and spice all interplaying; peanut brittle, mango, piquín pepper, and a little smoky bacon fat. It pulls me in and I just want to stay there forever.
Palate definitely throws more of that meaty/bacon fat thing, but also a little wet stone/slate quality after you adjust to it. And some sweetness really comes out with a little air, but never so much that it dominates,
Jam
156 reviews49.6% abv, no lot number
Review #137: On the nose I get soft sweet cherry, overripe melons, mango juice, salty minerality, and acetone.
The palate has tart cherry, strawberry jelly, cooked banana pepper, ripe canteloupe, lemon, and vanilla.
I agree with JDB, this reminds me of La Luna Cupreata. It has a bit of a tangy flavor but also a softness that needs time to open up especially on the nose. It’s definitely a solid pour but a bit thin as nothing big stands out for me.
This sample was provided to me free of charge with no strings attached.
49.6% abv, no lot number
Review #137: On the nose I get soft sweet cherry, overripe melons, mango juice, salty minerality, and acetone.
The palate has tart cherry, strawberry jelly, cooked banana pepper, ripe canteloupe, lemon, and vanilla.
I agree with JDB, this reminds me of La Luna Cupreata. It has a bit of a tangy flavor but also a softness that needs time to open up especially on the nose. It’s definitely a solid pour but a bit thin as nothing big stands out for me.
This sample was
JDB
165 reviews49.6% abv 2.5 ounce sample
Nose: spice, baked cookies, moist brown sugar
Palate: prune, plum, clove, black pepper heat, sweet peppers, molasses, tart cherry, and herbal flavors (mint primarily) after getting plenty of air.
Really enjoyable expression, cupreata has been one of my favorite agaves of late. Michoacán cupreatas are a bit different than those from Guerrero, though the aging in glass makes it hard to find those notes as clearly. This one reminds me of the cupreata (Chino) from La Luna. Really complex and opens up when you give it plenty of time to get air.
49.6% abv 2.5 ounce sample
Nose: spice, baked cookies, moist brown sugar
Palate: prune, plum, clove, black pepper heat, sweet peppers, molasses, tart cherry, and herbal flavors (mint primarily) after getting plenty of air.
Really enjoyable expression, cupreata has been one of my favorite agaves of late. Michoacán cupreatas are a bit different than those from Guerrero, though the aging in glass makes it hard to find those notes as clearly. This one reminds me of the cupreata (Chino) from La
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsNose – Lemon. Rose water. Birch bark. Wet cobblestone.
Palate – Sweet, pink lemonade (predominantly). Grapefruit peel. Snow peas. Some leather. Oak ember finish.
Sugary, citrusy and a tad funky. Rock solid mezcal!
Ben P
110 reviewsNose: Fresh laundry and lemon cucumber water at first but that fades off quickly, rotten melons, dried mangoes, charred grapefruit
Palate & Finish: Tangy mango, under ripe kiwi, chili covered citrus, some old honeydew, then a bit of earth before moving into the leather. Finish is tobacco and grilled peppers, followed subtle cantaloupe that sticks with you for a while.
This is more earthy than many Cupreata I’ve had but I really enjoyed it, especially on the second pour. Finish is brief and fleeting but not as hot as some of the other Palomas reviewed. I’m a fan of this one.
Nose: Fresh laundry and lemon cucumber water at first but that fades off quickly, rotten melons, dried mangoes, charred grapefruit
Palate & Finish: Tangy mango, under ripe kiwi, chili covered citrus, some old honeydew, then a bit of earth before moving into the leather. Finish is tobacco and grilled peppers, followed subtle cantaloupe that sticks with you for a while.
This is more earthy than many Cupreata I’ve had but I really enjoyed it, especially on the second pour. Finish is brie
COak
229 reviewsJan 2018. Picked this batch up at Palomas Mensajeras. They’re making some great mezcal, some of the best I’ve had from Michoacán. Beautiful nose on this, it’s tropical and inviting. This is soft with big flavors of tropical fruits and cocoa. It has a creamy long finish.