Recent reviews

this was another one that i waited to review.i wanted to sample this more than once before giving my opinion.my initial rating was 3 star at best.the nose was cajun spice and the palate was the same.it was too dominant and i didnt get much of any other flavors.i let the bottle settle and popped the top from time to time letting it sit for about 30 minutes.WOW this really morphed!the cajun note was there but mellowed.now there were sweet honey and baked sugar notes that blended with the spice and a hint of fresh split oak wood.the finish was deep,sweet,long and complex.very enjoyable.as time goes on,the sweeter notes are dominating the spice more.

Batch Cali-011, Bottle 20/90, 47.67% abv

The Rufina lineup is all very good. This madrecuixe has some crazy minerality on the nose, some of the strongest I have ever smelled or tasted in a mezcal. It reminds of LA city water, not in the chemical aspect, but in the mouthfeel (chalky). Their verde has some of this same minerality, although more muted, so it could be the water source in addition to the soil. Being a wild agave, it could also be part of its genetics. Underneath that minerality is some of the grassiness and vegetal notes that I like in a karwinskii, A bit of popcorn and corn syrup as well. Just some mild spiciness, but the flavor lingers in your palate for a while. Different from many other madrecuixes that I have tried and worth seeking out.

46% abv Lot: I 1-1
I have tried the entire lineup from Oponguio at a tasting event at Happiest Ours in Corona a few months ago, and they are all really solid. I sprung for this bottle because it hit a lot of my favorite Inaequidens notes. Strong pine notes on the nose, really drying on the palate, crisp and light fruit notes. Trying to figure out the herbal notes, maybe a bit more oregano for me, but there is a dried sage note that Jonny mentions. There are some floral notes too, rose petals, faint bubblegum and background sweetness. The flavors are muted but interesting. The herbal to my recollection is close the seco in their lineup in terms of flavor. I recommend doing a side-by-side tasting of their main offerings: frutal, herbal, and seco.

Batch: AMA-02 Bottle: 144/240 (180 liter batch) 45.5% abv

Power of suggestion carries a lot of weight, and when you get your first whiff, you think you smell leather and cow hide….when you can put that out of your mind, there is some fruit sweetness and basil notes. The flavors on the palate remind me of Kirsch, a cherry liquor. There is also a strong taste in the palate that evokes beef jerky or cured sausage notes (along the lines of Spanish chorizo). There is some background herbal quality as well, not sure if it is the mint or licorice others mention or something closer to oregano and rosemary. Enjoyable and worth the price at around $110 a bottle, which is what I paid at El Cerrito Liquor for this bottle. Check out Zack Klamm’s video on YouTube about his trip to the Santa María Ixcatlán: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aX7VFtprDb4

61.4% abv, Date: 3-22 Lot: A26 Bottle 240T

Picked up this 200 ml bottle at Louie’s Liquor in Azusa. I first tasted this puntas in Chicago this past October at Frontera Grill. Really impressed with that pour. This offering has a thick, strong mouthfeel. Hot for me, unlike other reviewers, but not burning. Has lots of flavors: sweet caramel and toffee, grape jelly, and peppermint. On the backend, there is a touch of the funky raicilla flavor, a bit of cream cheese. Definitely a must try if you come across a bottle at a bar. I am usually going to opt for any puntas regardless, but do seek this one out; you won’t be disappointed.

Lot# VDS-T 2-11-2021 Batch size: 110 liters 49% abv

Purchased this bottle on special from K&L wines. I had never had an agave spirit from Nuevo Leon unit this year and had never gotten that “fruit punch” note that others had mentioned. But this batch has it in spades. Nose is all fruit punch, and the palate as well. Comes in waves Reminds me of mixing kool-aid packets with sugar and eating that straight as a kid (with minimal sugar if you were brave). The mix here is a little tart but there is some sweetness as well. Also notes of leather, sour plum or cherry, and a slight ashy aftertaste. I agree with Rakhal that this offering is really unique. Not getting the corn note that Zack and Rakhal mentioned, but I could have a different batch.

five-star hack: infuse this with two ripe habaneros for ~24 hrs for a sublime cocktail base. don’t @ me

Lot E-17-E-20 50.2% Aromas out of the bottle are well I don’t know practically non-existent. Acetone and the usual alcohol Aromas but very little else I get a green sweetness of agave but that’s about it. Flavors are mostly clean alcohol with different types of peppers white peppercorn green peppercorn and hot spices. This was a newly opened bottle I’m looking forward to it airing out some and trying it again. After airing out some I get mint and green Jolly Rancher everything’s pretty well mellow. Sweet bourbon like flavors come out after airing. This could be a highlands anyday

Flying back from Mazatlan, I knew I had a bottle of this San Andres waiting for me at home. I saw the San Andres XX for $900🇲🇽 and I thought it’d be a neat side-by-side.
Can’t believe how different the two are from the same producer!
Starwberry Greek yogurt on the aroma follwed by a banana/soursop sweetness.
A light lactic funk that I adore in Mezcal! Berries, vanilla, rocks. Canadian forest fires. Annonaceae fruita like Guanabana, soursop, cherimoya or Amazonian cupuaçu. Lightly floral. A pronounced flavor of pouring fresh dirt in the garden.
Roasted, juicy agave juice. Like the charred pineapple of Al Pastor.
More sweet and unbalanced as the San Andres XX, in a good way.
A fun, fruity, funky Mezcal.

Bottle 1518/3076.
I was pleasantly surprised to see this guy in the Duty-Free store one my flight back from Mazatlan! $900🇲🇽 and costs nearly triple in my area. I had a bottle of the regular San Andres waiting for me at home, so I thought it’d be a neat side-by-side.
Can’t believe how different the two are from the same producer!
Hard to pick out specific notes as this Mezcal is so well balanced, the flavors balance out amazingly.
Floral and earthy aromas right away. Like being back in the Bouchart Gardens of Victoria. Rai water. Rose and Lavender. Dubble Bubble Gum (with the jokes inside the wrapper?) Strawberry Go-gurt. Lightly charred Rosemary. Very little booze for 95 proof.
Tastes like the smell of Oaxaca de Juarez at night. The trees and the air. Toasted cinnamon, underripe banana, earthy minerality. Like piclkng wild berries and eating the one that which fell to the ground.
A soothing, sipper to enjoy in the summer sun.
I let it sit for 15/20 minutes in the glass to develop. Straight from the bottle it was a little less balanced and a lttle more boozier.

Missed the Lote details.
This one surprised me (in a good way). A bit smoker on taste, and with some stronger ethanol notes….slightly on the rough side for a sipper, but def. could drink in a pinch. Great for cocktails! Notes of roasted agave with a slightly vicious, creamy mouthfeel. Not overly complex but again surprisingly good given price point. 3.25 stars.
Review #181.

Lot – I – 06
Nose : Coco powder, earthy, caramel and mole. It’s elegant and not in your face.
Taste : silky, dark chocolate, cherries. Not too sweet and balanced.
Finish : dry, no smoke, cherry blossom(chocolate bar)
Beautifully balanced mezcal.

Picked up a bottle in CDMX and pleased to find it was made by Berta. The nose is mineral and full of dry desert and stone fragrances.
The palate is sweet but not as fruity as other tobalas I’ve had, very much mineral and sandstone, delicious but not super complex. A great sipper.

Great ensemble. Bicuixe is really present, but the backbone is that arroqueño. Rich and deep flavor, however the jabalí is a little muted, but some of the floral notes and herbal character could be from that maguey. That herbal character does hit on mint like Zack mentions, but also close to tarragon and cilantro. Some really subtle minerality too, caramel, and toasted cinnamon (close to red hots), and just a perfect heat warming up the whole tongue. I also agree with Zack on the mouthfeel lingering and the drying quality (probably the bicuixe). High quality sipper and a lot fun to let it open up and get some varied flavors with more oxygen. 4.75/5

Literally the worst alcoholic beverage I have ever tasted. It was mediciny and offputting. Before reading the reviews here I thought that my bottle (DH-38 14453) had been adulterated. An absolute waste of $50.

highly complex and interesting sipping. a bit sour and lactic/cheesy for my palate, but still acquiring a taste for aged agave; take this rating with a grain of worm salt.

Tastes like hand sanitizer.

lot: pechuga 2022-01 (agave mixtape 9A)
abv: 48%

unbelievable dessert sipping. butterscotch and honey dripped over soft baked apples and peaches. nutty, cinnamon, orange peel, mole, chipotle. a long, beautiful finish.

1oz sample. Enjoyed it so much I bought a bottle. Will update this to that when I crack it open.

Lot DS011-PC from July 2022

Only my second pechuga (the other being the Erstwhile Bacon Pechuga). I like this a lot better. The Erstwhile seemed to really have an overly rich note like when cooking something in rendered bacon and you leave too much in the pan.

This is cleaner, fruitier and much more drinkable for me. It’s not super complex but it’s not boring but any stretch of the imagination. There’s some sweetness and some heat but it’s nicely balanced.