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Mezcal Review #6 – Maguey Melate Club Pick December 2023 – Criollo

Criollo, 42.5% ABV.

Notes: From El Plantanar Manlinaleo, Estado de Mexico. Distilled 2x is copper stills by Carmelo Perdoza Alvarez. 375 L.

Nose: A bit “new-make”-y – kind of like musty hot dog water. It smelled like this the first time I tried to distill something – and IPA that never got pleasant. Orange peel, smoked meat, flowers, and grass. This was distilled in March 2023 so it’s still a bit young, might improve with more rest. That or they just went too deep into the tails.

Palate: Better. The usual suspects – cream cheese frosting, mint, milk chocolate. Medium sweetness. Texture is a bit thin, likely a result of the low ABV. Not very complex but good enough.

Finish: Smoky, some distant burnt plastic and clay.

Comments: I’d heard that the December/January box was not well received, and I can see why. This is fine, but there are definite flaws here. I’ll hang onto this sample for a while and see if it’s doing better in ~6 months.

Score: 4/10 (t8ke scale)

1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.

2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.

3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.

4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.

5 | Good | Good, just fine.

6 | Very Good | A cut above.

7 | Great | Well above average

8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.

9 | Incredible | An all time favorite

10 | Perfect | Perfect

Lamata Sotol Durango

Ben P

Ben P
107 reviews

ABV 48.5%

Nose: milk duds, wet clay, figs, tootsie roll, raisins, milk chocolate

Palate: less sweet than I expected on the palate. Earthy and mineral. Dried pineapple, some peanuts, mulch. Finish is cumin, chile cover mangos, a bit of cocoa and coffee

The nose made me expect a sweetness overload on the palate but damn did the palate hold its own. Nice chocolate and earth balanced. I’ve only had a few sotols and this is the best I’ve had by far. Awesome stuff.

Mezcalero No. 27

Ben P

Ben P
107 reviews

ABV: 46%

Nose: tart lemon, herbs, mustard seed, lemongrass, plenty of citrus

Palate: wow, candy like. Werthers quickly becomes Sweetarts, chalky banana, persimmons, then it gets a bit more tart with passionfruit, slate, bitter herbs. Finish is the style I love, bitter minerality, ground stone, charred rosemary, and after a while it’s like that bitter sweet aftertaste

Nose is subtle leading into a BIG layered palate. Terrific stuff

Gracias a Dios Tobala

Ben P

Ben P
107 reviews

45% ABV

Nose: soft creamy, floral vanilla, some ash and burnt pepper

Palate: soft mouth feel, a bit of vanilla with sweet ash, overripe mango and some pineapple, the tail end is a bit vegetal and peppery with a bit of kick to it.

Solid and as expected. A bit hot on the backend but nice up front. A good value and seems like a great entry point for someone.

tropical fruit and cheese! huge fan of this

Cinco Sentidos Delgado y Ancho

jlum4

jlum4
11 reviews

super fruity and sweet, hint of an herbaceous note. really rich!

Real Minero Becuela

Ben P

Ben P
107 reviews

ABV 48.3% OTT Batch

Nose: Classic nose I get with Marmorata. Popsicle stick, honey covered jalapeños, it’s layered and pungent, there’s some soft earth underneath all of it.

Palate: more honey Jalapeno, spiced mango, burnt peach, pepper skins, a little woody and cacao. Moving to the finish is fig jam, soil. Finish is chile covered grapefruit, passionfruit, spicy Paloma just sitting on your tongue on the finish. The clay makes this on the finish giving the flavors depth.

This is excellent. Sometimes the clay is just there on something, like in the background but I feel the clay on this one gives everything so much depth. What a freaking pour

Mal Bien Alto

Ben P

Ben P
107 reviews

Batch 1221 IRM ABV 46

Nose: watermelon juice, limes, underlying leather like hot car seats, but so much watermelon

Palate: watermelon on the front, limes, lemon sour patch kid, I always think of lemonade moving into the finish with this. Finish is lemon lime, slightly herbal and leathery to dry, the herbal to me is lemongrass and sage.

This isn’t crazy complex but that’s what makes it so damn crushable. I always forget how much melon I get on this…then I pour it. This Alto to me is a cabinet staple.

Rezpiral Tobala – Luis Antonio Santiago

Ben P

Ben P
107 reviews

ABV 46.5%

Nose: Guava cream cheese, up close it’s more ash and pencil eraser but as you move your nose further away it’s dried fruit like pineapple, mango, slightly lactic and cheesy. Some lime as it sits. I’m intrigued by the nose

Palate: oh wow, this is cool. Nose translates well to the palate, cheesy fruit, oranges and guava, but briefly then its cherry licorice. Some lemon, slight leathery moving into the finish it drys quickly with some stone and minerality. I really enjoy the finish. Some ash, charred fruits, slate. Just sits nicely for a while.

Agree with Imperium this is some high quality agave juice! It’s fruity but not assaultingly so and damn do I love fruit and minerality combined, this does it so damn well

Vago Arroqueño – Emigdio Jarquín

razorbackmike

razorbackmike
152 reviews

another wonderful expression from emigdio!i am also fond of arroquenos.this has a floral nose with hints of baked sugar.it doesnt jump out of the bottle.the palate is dark and earthy but not in a heavy way.at first,the taste is sweet with some brown sugar and a hint of sweet potato.the flavors keep expanding to a long complex finish.some brownie mix and sweet vegetables.sometimes its hard to sum up the experience in a description other than to say its delicious and i get something new with each sample.beautifully made.big fan of emigdio and vago.

Sotol Por Siempre

Eric S.

Eric S.
1 review

Harvest 2019. Batch 2. My second bottle of this and I have every intention of buying more. Intense and vibrant with plenty of briny, grassy, peppery, spicy, dry deliciousness every time I open this. This is the stuff I bring out if I want to bowl someone over with how different and delightful the spirits world can be.

Salvadores Tobala

GMAD

GMAD
68 reviews

BATCH TBX-3 2021, 48%, BOTTLE 40, 200ml

Nose – Sweet and dirty. Cinnamon, brown sugar, wet asphalt, and tamarind.

Palate – Deep, rich, and punchy. Red Hots, grapes, cough syrup.

Finish – Bittersweet and nutty; tamarind and peanut shells.

Great expression of a Tobala. Salvadores always offers well-done and straightforward Mezcal. This batch is no different.

Batch: 012MBMUSA-22 ABV: 47.9%

Nose: chalky pine, spearmint, dry soil, sawdust, definitely some parmesan

Palate & Finish: Herbal up front, peppermint, tangy lime, pine resin, chalk candy is very present especially moving into the finish like runts. Finish is herbs, star anise, cola (good call jam) mango and your mouth is almost left feeling chalky.

I have a full bottle of this and I think if I had reviewed on a sample I wouldn’t have enjoyed as much. This has definitely opened up as the bottle gets some air time and I love it. Initially it felt a little compact. It’s definitely Bicuixe dominant.

Lalocura Puntas de Espadin

Ben P

Ben P
107 reviews

Nose: creamy mango, coconut, strawberry, slight herbal like lavender

Palate & Finish: More herbal and than the nose lets on. Needed to let it sit for a minute but I got the creamy coconut, then spa herbs like sage, lemongrass, light pear, some honeydew. Finish you get hit with the clay, it’s wet and cherry like, mud, but trails off into some nice medicinal mint and cough syrup

Solid as Lalo always is. The clay adds some soft mouthfeel and it’s a really nice balance of herbal and fruit which I get on some Espadins.

Palomas Mensajeras Mexicano

Rakhal

Rakhal
421 reviews

Wow this is so unique!!! Very green and herbal. Tarragon, mint, 7up, and fresh squeezed limes. I love this one!! My favorite of their expressions!

Palomas Mensajeras Chino, Alto, Mexicano

Rakhal

Rakhal
421 reviews

Totally different than the single Agave expressions! Big Mango flavor! Also sandalwood, Tang, Spearmint Altoids, and orange creamsicle. Yum.

Palomas Mensajeras Chino

Rakhal

Rakhal
421 reviews

Sweet concentrated flavors. Brown sugar, oak, dark chocolate, medjool dates, black licorice, and roasted plantains.

Palomas Mensajeras Alto

Rakhal

Rakhal
421 reviews

Mmmm. 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.

Del Maguey Chichicapa

BlackBeard

BlackBeard
5 reviews

Nice smoky smell, but the taste is so fruity and hard in one time. Nice!

Creador Lumbre

RyeAmLegend

RyeAmLegend
37 reviews

Batch JALU1122⠀

Nose: A bright, briny nose with some olives and seaside air. I expected a lot of vegetable notes but instead was greeted with some intense spices of white pepper, sage, and even a bit of juniper berry. It has a lovely simple vegetable aroma. Grilled orange and yellow bell peppers, seasoned with some olive oil and flaky sea salt. I gave this one an extended rest time, capping in a Glencairn for comparison purposes. There’s also an intense cinnamon bubble gum note to it that I didn’t get when nosing from my Veladora.

Palate: The fruity funk of that clay pot comes out on the palate with an unexpected sweetness to it. Guava, soursop, and lichee perhaps. A fruit blend of firm and slightly underripe honeydew. Once that sweetness fades, it’s back to all veg. Raw starchy vegetables of yucca and yams. Grasses, leaves, and corn husks. There’s also a saline note at the back of the palate that is in perfect harmony with the sweet fruit flavors.

Finish: Where the palate brought some of the clay funk, the finish rounds it off with more earthy and timber notes. Smoldering wood charcoal embers and the fringed edges of grilled corn husks. White onions on a singed wooden kabob. It’s a richer finish than I expected, with those hints of the clay distillation as well as the wood used in the cook. Lastly, the finish is on the dry side but doesn’t teeter into astringent territory. It’s as if a slight salt residue is left over on your palate.

I didn’t get any expressive clay pot lactic notes on this Lumbre but instead a safer, more simplistic blend of flavors. They work well but I am looking for more complexity these days which I found in both of José’s espadíns I’ve previously reviewed. The Lubre’s finish I think is what’s tripping me up as it feels more like a “daily” mezcal. Something I can see myself enjoying with a food pairing or sip while at a beach picnic.

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