Great workhorse espadín. I have had this occasionally for years. There is little variation between batches, and it is always fruity, discreetly smoky, sweet and spicy. An extra half star for availability and price. A far better cocktail choice than, say, La Vida, but it it is also nice on its own, although a bit short in structure and aftertaste.

March 2019, 51% tobalá, 43% espadin, 6% Madrecuixe
Coconut shells, herbs, lime peel and a bit acetone on the nose. Full mouthfeel, but a bit hot. The footprint of the mere 6% madrecuixe is remarkable, with some more rough coconut with brown skin, quince, succade, toffee, sugarcane grassiness. Very nice.

Surprisingly complex ensamble! A bit muted nose, but pleasant with vibrant vegetables/herbal notes. The complex flavour palette is the interesting aspect here, a great example of how unexpectedly well different agave profiles suddenly merge into something quite unique. On the palate this is a very nicely balanced mix of lime/limestone/quince of tobalá, toffee from espadin, rough nuts and wood from Karwinskii and herbal/vegetal qualities from tepextate. Illegible lot number, unfortunately, but try it if you see the it!

Floral aromas, very light and aromatic smoke, a bit green bell peppers on the nose. Tastes of vanillin, carrots braised with pressed oranges and tarragon, jalapeño, boiled agave, some tropical fruits hard to decipher.
Well integrated alcohol and very nice, slightly viscous mouthfeel. The style reminds a little bit of Del Maguey’s Wild Tepeztate, but this is slightly sweeter. Excellent craftmansship, just a little bit short aftertaste and onedimensional for a full score. Lote MK005/17TEP

Batch N3E02–21 45% ABV, European import, 242 bottles. Nutty smell of macadamia, a bit acetone, bitter almonds, smoke. More nuts on the palate, vanillin, roasted agave flavours, earthy but no bitterness. Full mouthfeel, and as others have pointed out a little bite towards the finish. For a brief second I could swear it was a karwinskii. Great price, great staple espadin. I imagine this is less diluted than the ones reviewed by others, considering the ABV. A gold medal from 2018 — not mentioned in the introduction text above — has also been awarded btw.

What an espadín this is. Lalo’s signature is very present, with his umami, meaty, flinty character that I suspect comes from distillation. Muscovado sugar, fruity toffee, papaya too, and the aftertaste lasts forever.

Minty nose, with light smoke. Quite delicate flavours, good minerality, a bit canola and slightly viscous, red berries, a touch of green bell peppers.

Lot 7 from 2015, the label says “Los Potrillos” but is otherwise the same design and producer.
White pepper, pear, mild hint of ricotta cheese perhaps. There are also some herbs mid palate, perhaps marjoram. A bit short aftertaste and a bit muted.
On a side note, I recently tried Tapatio Blanco 110 — a wild fermented tequila, but where the agave is slow roasted instead of autoclave cooked like this one. I have to say the Tapatio had far more to offer, but they have quite similar flavours. So my overall impression is that this was a bit like a watered down version of the Tapatio. It is indeed a nice expression of azul, but would benefit from a higher proof probably.

The smell of this really fills the room, skittles — absolutely, and some grass, light smoke.


 Earthy and fruity, I get a kind of jelly bean cocktail, but also leather, pine, vanilla. Nicely balanced flavours. Well integrated alcohol, medium mouthfeel, medium aftertaste. Well worth a try.

Untanned leather, dried mint, cucumber and watermelon aromas, some ash too. Very hot in the mouth at first, needs to rest for twenty minutes in the glass. Macadamia, black pepper, epazote, liquorice root, quince. The finish kicks in with French buttercream, chocolate and carrot cake, honey and some vague, grassy herbal taste. 

I’ll ask for a try in a few months’ time again, but as for now, this bottle is far too hot for five stars. It’s a shame, because normally you can integrate the alcohol by resting the distillate properly before bottling

Some alcohol vapours and acetone fade quickly, opening for charred wood and jalapeños, cassia cinnamon, sweet woodruff, cracked pepper. Hot on the tongue at first, needs 15 minutes in the glass but then: what a lovely tepextate this is. Jalapeños, green bell peppers, green wine gums, caramelised apples. Nearly viscous mouthfeel, a bit of a sting still, but not bothering me at all. Fresh, spicy, sweet, minerals, all at the same time. Not regretting buying a bottle.

December 2015 batch DS004-T

PSP-01, claw edition
Wet wool, sweet woodruff/coumarin, soy sauce, fried oyster mushrooms; aromas are discreet, but pronounced.
Palate: Papaya, blue plums, a toffee hint, braised wild boar, lightly smoked black tea, well rounded. Towards the long finish a bouquet of fresh and dried herbs opens up, slightly bitter but well balanced. Well integrated alcohol, very nice pechuga despite the touristy, fancy bottle (resembling a claw, not the one pictured here).

Dusty loft, burnt clay/bricks, pine needles and a bit smoke on the nose.
Caraway, vanilla, spearmint, fresh cheese lactic funkiness, paraguayo peach, epazote. Incredibly long aftertaste. Very special, would not hesitate to get a bottle.

No batch. Smells of pine cone, and a mineral touch with smoke, yoghurt just before going bad.
Very nutty, tastes annatto seeds, pecan, fried pineapple, honey. Well integrated alcohol. If you fall for the flavours, there is nothing to stop it from being a five stars raicilla, but personally I think it is a bit like the harsher lambic beers from Belgium: Too much barnyard bitterness overtaking the funk.

No batch, but from what I saw it is an angustifolia from one maguey. Smells of almond and baked pear as well as some discreet notes of lactic acid. Very light smoke. Palate follows suit with nice vanilla, pear, cassia cinnamon and Brazil nuts, slight hint of burnt rubber in a good way. Very interesting interplay between nutty and fruity, really surprising for a raicilla on angustifolia.

Pleasant surprise, smells of caramel cookies and key lime pie, light smoke. Well-made mezcal, integrated alcohol, white pepper, boiled agave, vanilla shake, nearly peaty smoke flavours. A bit muted, but very nice

Lote 013-RCG is espadin, madrecuixe and jabalí, a bit different label, but still named “Ensamble“.
Very fresh nose, smells of lime juice, hints of very bright incense smoke. Palate with clear umami and tarragon typical of jabalí, but it keeps in the background. Some peanut with brown skin, and light clay minerality. Grass notes, lime peel and unripe mango. Interesting, but a bit muted. Try it if you see it, very uncommon character.

Smells of pine needle, dried mango and red wine gums. An alcohol burn strikes on the palate at first, but is quickly followed by coconut and peanut with the brown skin on, mace, dates, carambola and papaya. Lingers nicely, clay influence is just a base note
throughout. A bit disappointed over the alcohol bite, but it was soon forgotten. Not quite as viscous mouthfeel as I would expect from all the reviews, but still very smooth. No batch I’m afraid.

Very sweet for a Karwinskii. Grass, sugarcane and coconut, light smoke and vanilla nose. Strangely sweet. Great mouthfeel. I normally prefer clay pot distillations of karwinskii where the minerality kind of counters the woody, astringent notes. But this is one is very rich, balanced and nearly viscous.

An excellent combination of agave put together. The espadin gives a really full bodied complement to the spicy jabalí. Aromas of tanned leather, tarragon, vanilla, black cherries and baking spice, meat seared in teriyaki. In the mouth it first strikes with rich agave and butterscotch notes, then cloves, caraway, tarragon, mango and muscovado sugar. Rich mouthfeel, integrated alcohol. There are also some great umami/meaty notes from the jabalí that keep lingering.