ROS-ARR-001 – Super funky nose on this one, savory, cheesy, smoky, barn, a bit floral, a little rubber. Strong clay and ash flavor is somewhat overpowering, dark chocolate and spice, musty. This one is a bit muddled for me on the palate, but it’s bold and enjoyable.
REI-TEP-001 – The nose on this one is unbelievable, a well-balanced mix of green peppers with ripe fruit, mint and a hint of tobacco. The palate is bold, vegetal with grass and pepper and a little smoke and salt. Long finish with a lot of complexity to work through.
LID-ESP-001 – Somewhat delicate flavor and nose on this one, but well balanced, and fits well with the slightly lower abv. Still has a surprising satisfying mouthfeel, medium bodied. Floral and slightly sweet nose, taste of spice and citrus with a hint of chocolate. Well refined and very easy to drink. There isn’t a stray or excessive note here, everything seems to work really well together.
Lote D5009A-J, 49.2%
My first jabali, and this certainly lives up to its reputation of having a bit of a wild profile. Nose reminds me of ketchup and spice, black pepper, a little leather, tropical fruit, sometimes dominated by acetone. Taste of fruit and spice, underlying green, vegetal flavor, or underripe fruit. Lacks the “funkiness” that I notice in a lot of mezcals; just bold, spicy, fruity nose and taste, with a medium body and creaminess. Like most of what I’ve tried from Rey Campero, this is hot and complex, but a little unrefined.
Joel Barriga, 49.9%, 1001L Batch, Nov 2019, LOT J-11-E-19
A good and strong Espadin. Salty, mineral, coffee, agave, pine, something of a viscosity and sweetness to it. A little hot. Good bottle, would love to try another batch at some point, and to explore Vago’s offerings generally.
Edition 16, 2016 Harvest, Bottle # 347/1050, Gregorio Martínez, Batch GMGTB100818EJ
This was really overpowering to me at first, with a strong & nearly artificial banana flavor. But it settled down a little over the course of a month or two. Silky smooth, fruity (especially on the nose), palate is sweet with a little dust and tropical funk, medicinal. This quickly moved to the top of my list of open bottles I was enjoying, and will be sad to see it go.
Lot 26, 1076/1750, bottled 10/19, 44.3%
The smell is savory and funky. People aren’t kidding when they describe the nose of this as jalapenos and cheese. Palate is oily and vegetal, sweet, spicy and musty. I was overwhelmed by this originally, but it grew on me. The taste and nose rounded off a little bit after the bottle spent some time open. This is a complex and rewarding spirit, and for the price, it’s absolutely worth trying.
This is spectacular. Sweet nose, vanilla, honey, tobacco, and earth. Subtle hint of brine on the tongue, caramel, with a balancing layer of clay to round out and ground the palate. I can’t get enough of this, and can’t wait to try the Ancestral Coyote by Ángel Cruz Robles. Lote: ACRO16, Bottle 352, May 2018.
Light funk on the nose, sweet and smoky, smells a little like cola. Palate is clay and spice, full mouthfeel, a little dark, earth. This bottle took a little while to open up. Very enjoyable, a little thick, not overly complex, but well balanced with strong flavors. Lot SMS001L/17 from Tio Leonardo.
