Recent reviews

Bottle 1522 48% Aromas out of the bottle are medicinal With band aid and mercure chrome, like aromas. No smoke to speak of and a slight alcoholic, burn aroma of cinnamon and spices. Flavors follow with sweet cinnamon spices, cloves. And once again, an alcoholic finish, but no smoke. A good espadin for the money.

Really clean aroma—citrus fruit maybe orange with a light minerality.
The taste is moderately sweet on entry then fades with some interesting flavors until it becomes a little bitter. Not in a bad way.
The finish is the best part of this one—long, good and evolves thru the different flavors taking a bow.
Gregorio Martinez Garcia. San Baltazar Guelavila, Oax. From 2018, Edition 15. Bottle 921/1000.

Wonderful aroma! Strawberry cream, river rock and mesquite wood.
It has a thick feel and the taste is ok with smoke and heat, not overly sweet.
Finish is ok but does not bring anything back from the wonderful aromas.
All-around good.
Harvest 2023, Edition 35. 50.2%. From RIo Seco, Oax. Regulo Martínez Parada.

Very light—middle of the road—aroma, taste, and finish.
Aroma is fairly plain….mostly smoke, some light sweetness.
The taste follows suit and not a lot going on except some decent smoke. There is a hint of peppermint on the backend. As it sat, there might even be some band aid (a clean one).
Finnish is ok, but does not bring anything new.
This is a good mezcal for newbies.
Produced in 2022, Edition 141. 45%

After finishing my review, AndrewF says it’s “aggressively average”….that is a great descriptor here.

Berta never ceases to amaze. This Ensamble of Tepeztate, Tobaziche, Espadin, Mexicano y Tobala is full of flavor!

Sweet lactic aroma, you can smell the Tepeztate, and the palette is smooth, creamy like her Tobala’s. Vegetal, green, and lactic-fruity creaminess.

I must find this bottle!

LBE-001. 405/612.
Made by Benjamin, Eduardo and Sergio.
Aroma – Spicy mayonnaise, nail polish remover, pepper and wood.
Palette – Spicy jalapeno slices, sweet agave, hints of citrusy fruits. As it opens up, the sweetness comes to the forefront and gets a little lattice (a plus for me). Soft pepper finish.

Right off the bat, it reminded me of Pal’alma San Luis Potosí salmianna. The artwork on the bottle is really eye-catching. Hard to get a good picture with the metallic logo though!

April 2023 100 liters 52.2%.
Smell has that cooked greens and bright salmiana notes that seems to be similar w/ all of the expressions from this brand (I love it so not complaining).
Candy, dry, woody…alcohol comes through a bit. Finish lingers really nicely with sweet after flavors (almost like vanilla cake frosting).
Review #226

Notes of pine, licorice, super clean.
Taste has some more spearmint, baking spice, burnt orange. Not your normal sotol that’s for sure! The ABV on this one says 44%, which it def. tastes a bit hotter than that for sure. As TallChad said – candied orange in the desert is pretty spot on! Never would have guessed this was a sotol – very good!

Lote 70 and Lote 82 Both produced in 2023 January and December – 44.3%
Consistency. Something I have found in this offering, unlike others.
What makes Mezcal exciting is the variance from batch to batch. However, SLP is like Johnie Walker or Dewars is to a scotch drinker. It’s consistent. It’s reliable.

Citrus Notes – So Unique – Overripe Lime
What peat is to scotch, this flavor is to mezcal.
Feel like I’m drinking from the fermentation direct. I Love it.
This is just a must-try for someone to understand the difference in what this region offers. (Can find for $30-40)

Lte: 36-14C 45.27%
Quentessential Mezcal. Right amount of smoke… Right amount of Cream. Right amount of sweet. You can taste the agave and all it’s been through in its life.
A great offering for someone new so they may really understand what Mezcal can be at an affordable price point. ($60)

JT06-19 ABV 46.9%
While a good mezcal. This one is not for me. Perhaps it’s the clay pot distillation.
The two of my favorite maguey dance and it has that initial excitement of a great mezcal, but gets lost on the way to the podium.
First flavor is the minerality and salinity of a solid mezcal.
With a dash of pepper, a bit of smoke.
It has the mezcal funk on the front end but teases it rather than delivering.
Finish Dried Jackfruit. Texture forward not sweet but still jungle fruit is found.
Clay pot distillation lingers. On the tongue.

AMA-02. Bottle #105/240. 45.5%.

Nose – Cheese, slightly lactic on the more sour side

Palate – I get Parmesan cheese but more specifically, a good Caesar salad with parmesan and great dressing. One big, boozy, caesar salad.

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A pour while out in London (Madera Treehouse) regret not getting better photos and info! (blurry) so forgive my short review.. Solid and preferable over the other labels bottling’s Ive had. Aromatic, full body. I did think this label has some text discrepancies on it but i’ve been know to be wrong so I kept my mouth shut other than to enjoy the delicious creation 🙂

A pour while out in London (Madera Treehouse) regret not getting better photos and info! (blurry) so forgive my lackluster review other than wowza this was tasty. It was full on aroma and mouth explosion. Have had the 5S before but this one really took me for a ride. If you come across it, indulge.

Nose is a little funky like overripe bananas, with a smooth lactic note.
Palette is earthy, mineral, pepper, papery, clove and ginger. Lacks sweetness. Softer finish than other Bacanora’s I’ve had.

Aroma – Sweet dried fruit slices, citrus, pine, mineral/saline like a Pechuga mezcal.
Palate – Pepper, wet dirt, mineral water, black licorice, with a peppermint finish. The alcohol is a little hot on this one. Overall, aroma is ten times better than the palate but a solid Sotol!

Tio Leonardo – LOTE: SMS001L/16 BTL: 241/624
My second experience with Alipus to date. Clay and lime-peel/citrus with subtle smoke and sweetness. Very smooth on the palate. This is an excellent ensemble. Highly recommend.

JBTBREY07-22. #125/145. Reynaldo-only batch. I was really hoping for the Alberto batch, but Madre only sells this one. Nose is a little funky, slight leather, gives off Espadin. Palate is not too exciting. The sweetness from the Tobala is missing that Alberto funk, hate to say it but it’s why I bought this bottle. The Jabali is front and present, sudsy like Pellegrino. Not worth the price, unfortunately. Hopefully I come across the original Alberto batch.

It’s really interesting to taste this one next to her other release with Verde added. They are quite a bit different. This one is also very complex but it’s a lot more on the sweet side and you can definitely taste the alcohol. If I had to choose just one I would pick her other ensamble but this is also very delicious. Panela, Kingsize Snickers, sandalwood, applesauce, toasted Parmesan cheese, caramelized banana, banana pudding, banana fritters with vanilla ice cream. This is sweet and decadent and delicious!