Real Minero Largo

Lote RML-05, 2016.
I don’t know if I caught a weird bottle of this, but this comes off as a pretty average (average for its range) mezcal to me. It’s fine. It tastes a little bit of peanut and a touch of sweetness, which is nice, but there are strong undertones of clay and it ends with a lot of the earthy clay, so I don’t get as much complexity or as long of a finish as I do from a lot of other mezcals I rate higher. It’s drinkable, and it’s fine, but I don’t get all of the fuss over it. I liked Real Minero’s Barril a lot more.

50.64% ABV. Batch RML-010, 2018 harvest, avg maguey age-14yrs, clay pot still, ambient yeast, palenquero: Edgar Angeles Carreño. Had it at home. My wife picked up on a sweetness and refinement. I get a light woody smokiness up-front, which gets nuked by that enormous alcohol content. One I’ve worked through the heat, the lighter sweetness of the agave comes out. Still wrestling with the high alcohol. A drop of water brings out some sweet banana-like and earthy flavors and settles things down for me a little. Nearing the end of the glass, some more fruit flavors are coming out, with a granite undertone. A drop of water transforms the flavor, bringing it a roasty-sweetness, over an earthy fruitiness. Beet-like maybe.

Edgar Angeles Carreno, 52.4%
Some flavour similarities with the Lalo San Martinero for me. Slightly less creamy, but the same notes of berry, eucalyptus and clay shine through. You can sense the mastery in the craft behind this. The complexity is fantastic.
Since I first opened the bottle, this has really opened up and got better over time.
I’m noticing this more and more with good mezcals; that they evolve and are sometimes surprising and unpredictable when you revisit them. I guess that’s why we’re all here. And I’m not going anywhere else anytime soon 🙂

Two vintages here and both very good.

2013

Don Lorenzo, L-18

17 years

Sweetness-cantaloupe and melon on the nose. Fairly muted otherwise. Thicker on the palate with roasted agave, pepper. Then some brown sugar/cinnamon as it opens up, which is pretty cool. Perfume like as well. Easy finish. 4+/5

2019

Edgar Angeles Carreno, RML-11

14 years

More green and vegetal on the nose. Bright spring rain. Faint onion in background. More alive on palate in a similarly verdant way. Not like many other karwinskiis, and bordering on that tepextate profile that I enjoy so much. Further in, I’m getting some grape on the finish too. I love this one. 4.75/5

Having read reviews of this mezcal before I bought a bottle, my expectations were sky high but this spirit definitely delivered.

Nose: The nose is very warm and nutty – peanuts and ginger bread. There’s also notes of banana but more so the peal than the flesh. Very delicate, balanced and unique nose overall.

Palette: I’ve never had such a smooth mezcal. The feel is very oily and warm with very little burn. Banana shines through more on the palette than on the nose along with coconut that suits the oily mouthfeel.

The finish is long and bubblegum like.

This mezcal is sure to make an impression on both experienced and novice drinkers alike, particularly because of its unparalleled smoothness and depth. Can’t wait to try more from Real Minero

Batch RML-07, 48.9%
Nose: Warm peanut brittle oozes out of the bottle from the second the cork is pulled, but once in the glass there’s a chorus of green, floral and tropical scents: guava, pineapple, green coconut, banana, lime, eucalyptus, sage, ponderosa, and lily. Also a few crumbles of dry chalk, and an underlying earthiness of autumn leaves, smoked turkey and camembert which builds with time. A lot going on!

Palate: Rustically earthy with a big pile of wet leaves, pine branches, thyme and mushroom; but simultaneously sweet and floral with agave syrup, kiwi and elderflower. Crumbled peanut and hazelnut contribute to the medium-full, creamy mouthfeel.

Finish: At first turns bittersweet vegetal, with thyme, tarragon, citrus rind, cocoa, and clay. Some wisps of smoke then precede a sweet, earthy palette of peanut brittle, acorn squash, pinecone, sage and fallen leaves. Long length.

A fusion of earthy and verdant flavors can be found in many a thoughtfully made karwinskii distillate, but this one commands your full attention with its seductive twists and contrasts. The finesse with which this mezcal evolves from one balanced harmony of notes to the next pushes it into the top tier of all spirits for me.

Batch No. RML-07, 48.9% abv
Right off the bat there is roasted peanuts on the nose. Along with the peanuts, I picked up coconut, lime, slightly floral, slightly vegetal, and slightly minty. The aromas are very nuanced and delicate. Taste is equally nuanced and balanced to a tee. Vegetal like fresh lightly roasted greens, spearmint and wintergreen minty notes, there is a citrus element poking through, some tropical notes….there is lots going on here but it’s all so delicate and nuanced showing off the superb talents of the mezcalero. Very creamy mouthfeel and the minty and vegetal finish goes on for what feels like days on end. I can’t get enough of this finish! Also, if you happen to burp, it tastes like peanuts. This is a superbly crafted mezcal and is dangerously smooth. I can’t say enough about this mezcal and look forward to seeing how the spirit evolves during the lifespan of my bottle. 5/5 stars without reservation.