Distilled in April 2019
Very interesting. Smells of peanut skins — not shells but the brown skin — and wet wool. A bit of ash too, just after the first rain touches it, and cottonsedge.Tastes of fresh coconut with a bit of the brown skin on it. Also a bit pink pepper and papaya, leather, macadamia. Distinct character. I am not that experienced with tobaziche, but based also on other reviews I would say it is quite typical for the maguey, with agave fruitiness playing only second fiddle.
The aftertaste is pleasant, with fading peanut butter cup, finishing with a vague connotation of incense. All in all a bit subdued or should I say subtle? This is not a mezcal to taste in a noisy bar after a few drinks. But give it a bit of calm and you will be rewarded. I was struck by how the taste came forward a few days after opening the bottle, like it was a bit shy for the first hours exposed to oxygen.
Edit: It keeps growing on me, this bottle, so I give it a top score of five. After getting some more experience with tobaziche I think this is the most characterful of them all. While some clay pot ones are incredible and smooth, this is kind of the Ardbeg of mezcals: Rough but an incredible bunch of flavours in a unique combination waiting to be discovered. Just ordered more…
Did not get the batch number. A bit dusty in the nose. Since sneezing is social suicide these days it needs to breathe for while, or use a copita. Mineral, spicy smell.
Clay, allspice and toasted cinnamon on the palate, galia melon, fruity mild chili — poblano perhaps. Smoke with a hint of burnt straw lingering.
Lot APTX006.2016.
The importer states the “mash bill” is 70% espadin and 30% tepextate while others say it is 80/20. Regardless, the nose reveals there is more than espadin in the bottle. A little second there is a whiff of tinned jalapeños. It is reminiscent of the herbal funk of a Haitian Clairin, so I suspect it is wild yeast, but far less “lactic” than, say, raicilla (and far less funk altogether). Also a bit sawdust and mint.
The mouthfeel is a bit thin, and there is not so much of the caramel fruitiness I associate with espadin. “Clean” is perhaps the word, as others have suggested.
A quite straightforward palate with peppery, vegetal agave. An OK finish has some leather and green serrano chili, together with a subdued fruitiness that is hard to decipher. I have never had a singley maguey tepextate before, so I could not say if that defines the the finish in this ensamble. EDIT: I had a second go at this one, drinking out of a jicara, and what a difference that made for the aftertaste. Long and pleasant, with notes of jalapeño, sauerkraut and carambola.
Strong smoke, leather and some grass on the nose. A bit agave and ethyl vanilla, then a strong, smoky aftertaste — a bit metallic and thin but not unpleasant. The experience is not so different from drinking a cheap Islay whisky. Decent enough but not a great experience.
For cocktail use, La Vida is not my first choice, apart from perhaps in an Alcachofa (50/50 Cynar and mezcal). Too much smoke and leather, and not enough of the fruity agave flavours I normally want to come through.
EASE-1018 second batch tried. This bottle immediately became my new espadin favourite, with an unbeatable quality-price combo. Nosefeel improved from the previous batch, maybe left to rest for longer before bottling. It has scents of light, strawberry candy-ish fruit with some spice — exactly the smell of a leather jacket a girlfriend had in 1986. Vegetal qualities, a bit caramel and baked Williams pears, sweet mouthfeel and lightly smoked. Lingering aftertaste that competes with any espadin I have tasted.
No lot number I could recognise, just a bottle number.
It is the first time I taste papalote, which should constitute 53% of the mix for this ensamble. A bit varnish on the nose, leather and peppery dust, some dried fruit.
Medium mouthfeel, not oily but not crisp either. The palate is smooth without big transitions and the tobolá is recognisable immediately. Flavours of cooked quince, leather and spice, caramel, candied strawberry and, yes, pink pepper. Nice aftertaste with a lingering fruit and honey aroma.A very good price for a good bottle indeed. Perhaps more “pleasant” than “interesting”, but I really see the point in good ensambles with a harmonic, persistent flavour profile. On the other hand, I am unsure what papalote would taste like in a single agave mezcal.
Hopefully, the nose will improve a bit over time, but it is very far from unpleasant if you are used to white pot still spririts. On the contrary, there is a lot to like there
The only anejo mezcal I have tried, but I liked it a lot. A smooth espadin, agave fruitiness and caramel/butterscotch keeps going back and forth. I don’t know if the best mezcals should be aged at all, but I like the concept.
A bit of grass on the nose, oily mouthfeel, baked pear, complex fruitiness and toffee. Medium to long aftertaste, subdued smoke. This is really a great espadin.
For some strange reason it cost more than USD100 in my country so I won’t keep it as a staple. But when I still award it four stars that is on quality alone.
Tob-181, first sip from the bottle.
Immediately exposing a stronger nose than expected, it smells of ephemeral fruit, varnish and antique bookshop. Quince, lime, light smoke, vanilla and cassia cinnamon.Edit: I’ve tried several batches, consistently very, very nice all of them. Mezcals from the three Albarradas villages I’ve tried have all been viscous, fruity, and well balanced. Top notch.
2019 batch.
Admittedly, one star is awarded for the price since this bottle, at least in my country, cost little more than any average tequila.
A brief strike of agave on the nose, followed by plum, dusty loft and some smoke. Great, classic agave fruit on the palate, pear and cucumber-ish, the character that one immediately recognise as espadin. It makes me think that this is what the makers of the rough but fruity tequilas I had two decades ago tried to achieve, but couldn’t. Smoke is in the background towards the end, but not omnipresent. Surprisingly long aftertaste with slight butterscotch and mint.Except from a bit dusty, slightly chemical whiff for a split second, this bottle is on par with any mezcals I have had up to twice the price. It has just the perfect, fruity punch you need in cocktails. It is way more than acceptable to sip, although veterans to agave spirits might not be too impressed. Very happy to see such a quality product at such a low price.
The 2017 batch TPTO02 clocks in at 50.13% ABV and is quite something. A wonderfully clean and elegant mezcal, with integrated alcohol. I love the way the fruity freshness cohabits with smoke, spice and mineral qualities without any of them taking over the show entirely. Clay on the nose at first, a bit citrus peel and a whiff of an old antiquity store. Initial flavours of lime peel and limestone hits the palate, developing into agave burst with strong connotations of quince. A puff of smoke introduces a long, pleasant aftertaste of mint, cucumber, white peppercorn and a peatiness that I think reminds me about whiskies from the Orkneys. Each sip is a voyage through vague memories of time and places, no wonder the tobala is said to bring about dreams.
