Recent reviews

Siempre Oaxaca
Espadin Pechuga (Turkey with no fruit)
46.2%
Very faint nose, I really need to get my nose into the copita to pick up the nuances. Notes of parsley and grass when I look for them. Flavor is light as well. I can taste the turkey breast most prominently followed by white pepper, and cilantro. Heat burn on the lips. Thin in the mouth. A little underwhelming compared to the varied flavors I have come to look for and enjoy in a pechuga.

Siempre Oaxaca
Mexicano
46.2%
Fragrance hits you as you it drops into the copita. Sweet on the nose, caramel and butterscotch at first and notes of fresh pineapple emerge with some airtime. Flavor is more mineral than the nose would suggest. Aloe vera, black pepper, and medium heavy smokiness. A little heat and black pepper on the finish. Quite tasty.

Siempre Oaxaca
Cirial
46.2%
Faint nose with aromas of white glue and underripe melon rind. Flavor is light, very mineral-forward like warm mineral water. Light on the palate with a touch of sweetness and a clean finish. Good for your friends who aren’t into very smoky mezcal and I think this would make a delicious mezcal negroni cocktail.

Siempre Oaxaca
Barril
46.2%
Aroma of pepper flesh and green hay. Full in the mouth with a flavor that hits hard up front and stays around for a very long time. Initial taste is herbal and smoky and then alcohol heat fills the middle of the mouth and a numbing sensation takes over. The front of the tongue never loses the sweet and smoky flavor of the barril. A very nice expression for sure.

Siempre Oaxaca
Agave 75 Espadin/ 25 Tobala
46%

Light nose with of bread crumbs, butter, and cream. Flavor is sweet and savory like Hawaiian ham with the pineapple and brown sugar. Lightly smoky with a medium palate and lasting finish. Tons of flavor for US$45.

The nose on this keeps evolving the longer it sits in glass. Initially I got primarily sugary and fruity aromas of bubblegum, cane sugar, cherries, watermelon, and kiwi. The longer this sits, however, the more I get mustard seeds, Worcester sauce, and hints of smoked meat. The palate is delicate and semi-viscous, with notes of smoked pineapple, charred mango, lavender, sage, and a bit of pepper. This is phenomenal. I was gifted a dram of this, but would be eager to find a whole bottle.

47.96%. Lot PPD-11E. Bottle 673/3024. The nose is impeccably clean. Subtle aromas of cooked agave and brown sugar. The palate is super sweet and delicate. Subtle smoke and notes of caramelized agave with a bit of lemon pepper. This is a really solid Espadin.

Earth, earth, and then some more earth. Rainy cement, modeling clay, and random trail-side leaves crushed by hand as you walk up a trail. Taste is heavy black pepper spice with an ever so subtle hint of sweet jackfruit, and those unidentified herbal notes permeate throughout. Almost minty though. Very, very interesting.

Nose – Sweet, funky cheese cake base.

Palate – Two aspects of funk here: one (a sourness) from the extra-aged capon espadin and the other from the clay. Together they work well although I’m usually already a fan of both on their own.

Notes: Roasted sugary agave. Savory smoked chicken fat. Champagne. Only knock is the lingering smoke is a tad rough like a wet ashtray chock full of darts.

Not as magical as some of my favorite Lalo jams but still pretty darn good stuff here.

Nose – Old Dutch (🇨🇦) Mexican Chili flavor potato chips (its uncanny!). Mesquite BBQ chicken wings.

Palate – A meaty and savory pechuga that I applaud because it doesn’t overdo it with baking spices and fruit. A slick, oily mouthfeel – another plus. Roasted poblano pepper. Dark chocolate, Lawry’s seasoning salt and mesquite smoke in the finish. This is great – it’s balanced to work with and enhance the typical flavors of the espadin. I’m usually not big on pechugas but this one is very well crafted and unique.

Classic stand-by tep. Musty mothballs-esque notes. Sweet sticky leather. Cardamom with overripe oranges. Bazooka joe. Walks a fine line between enjoyable and “out there”

Lote: SMS002L/16, Bottle: 1079/1224
Nose – Lemon meringue pie – crust and all. Oak campfire embers.

Palate – Oreo pie crust. Dark chocolate the whole way in fact. Lime citrus. Pineapple. Rolling tobacco. Heavy ash and some clay in the finish (definitely not Sola de Vega funky which is a minor disappointment). Chocolate mousse notes sprout up in the aftertaste.

Sweet caramel nose with a warm cream and cheese funk. Taste is roasted poblano pepper, parsley, and a slight sourness. Thin in the mouth, the palette is almost completely missing except for some numbing alcohol on the lips.

Lot 01544D, bottle 228

A delicious and weighty Mezcal. Almost oily on the tongue but I think the karwinski agave ratio to the espadin is top. Ensures a sweeter,medium smoke product with a soft brown sugar top, lingering earthy finish (almost wet soil). Good hit of citrus on the palette too.Good entry to ensembles.

Let it in ya! Get it up ya!

Nose – Catch a sweet, nutty note that’s like unwrapping an Eatmore candy bar (crushed peanut, soft toffee-like chocolate). Fresh red grapes. Then incredible floral notes I can’t pin point but this is one of the better nose experiences that I can remember. Exceptional.

Palate – Peanut butter cheesecake. Chocolate toffee. Finish is saline and floral with nicely balanced smoke. Heatwise it’s an honest 52% ABV. More of that Eatmore candy bar note from the nose comes through in the aftertaste (which is long and delicious). Man, this stuff is as-advertised and definitely top shelf material.

Edition 03. Distilled by Pedro Vasquez. 2018 harvest. Bottle 2 of 130 (70cl).

Dried sweet chilies like guajillo and pasilla. Very earthy, with clay pot and humid topsoil notes, almost peaty. Quite saline, with notes of iodine and fresh oysters. Could have been distilled at the Isle of Skye if you know what I mean. A dash of water brings out some citrus and tropical fruits, which funnily enough is coherent with the Talisker analogy. I wonder what their new make tastes like, but I’m sure it doesn’t hold a candle to this beautiful Coyote. Back to it: candied yuzu, pomegranate, stewed apples, marmalade, maybe some quince jelly. Gunpowder, recently polished leather shoes, ginger. Cinnamon and liquorice are very present but appear mostly on the palate. Successive tastings have also revealed clear floral notes of violets and jasmine. Intense! The finish is spicy, ashy, dry and very long.

An absolute gem of a distillate.

Lote: 00220
Nose – Ruby Red grapefruit juice. Baked pineapple and sugar glazed ham. Fresh sage. Squeezed lemon.

Palate – Tasty and meaty (Newfoundland salt pork). Overly floral. The smoke is reminiscent of a Santa Maria, CA style smoker slow cooked baby back ribs (a perk of living in the area). More thin than viscous. Overall though it feels like the ham/pechaga was WAY overseasoned with the “aromatic herbs, spices and seasonal fruits.” This is a case where less would’ve been more and complemented the ensamble (and meat) rather than overpowering it. It’s still good, glad I got a bottle to experience this, I’ll enjoy it but wouldn’t buy it again.

Strange. Overpowering cinnamon and cedar. Moth balls? If “old army surplus” was a flavor, this would nail it. Musty. Not sure if I like

Edition 21. Harvest 2017. Bottle 525/580. 48% ABV.

This was my first bottle of El Jolgorio and it rocked. On the nose, baked custard, green pepper and aloe vera. On the palate, banana cream pie, rose water and Dutch(ed) cocoa. The finish is sweet and salty with lingering jalapeño, black pepper and floral undertones. My sister-in-law suggested Thrills gum (O-Pee-Chee) which I remember as being both spicy and floral. A lovely aromatic green bouquet from Pedro Vasquez Ogarrio.

Nose – Fresh cut watermelon. Sweet Tarts candy dust. I get some of the Minas clay pot funk (and enjoy it!).

Palate – Welcoming viscosity (medium). Papaya (and a general tropical fruit sugary sweetness). The clay is present although not as much as I thought it would based on the nose. A bbq meatiness in the finish and aftertaste – charred, fire-grilled carne asada (seasoned generously with sea salt and white pepper). There is a lot to like here.