Batch PRES22 – Released in DC Market. ABV 48.9%

Nose: Nose is wild, super vegetal and grassy, plenty of mesquite, also this like almost medicinal note, it takes up the whole room, lumber department of home depot

Palate & Finish: Burger covered in stone ground mustard, savory but slightly sweet, the sweetness is tangy and citrus, cedar plank salmon skin, grilled peppers on a wood skewer, it’s sweet but not super fruity, soft mango and guava for a split second before going back to wood and herbs, grilled carrots and corn. Finish is smoky, burnt peppers, light honey, the medicinal element is back but more mineral water like this time. It’s like a popsicle stick, natural (herbal) cough syrup, then basil and sage blast

Overall: Like many unique mezcals it’s uniqueness starts to draw you in and tough to rate. It’s got so much going on and so much complexity. It also beautifully ties together it’s different elements to make the whole. Great stuff.

VOL 5G

Nose: Pine, tar, ash, slightly herbal like Tzaziki, honeysuckle, yogurt, sour cream, brine, vanilla Danimals yogurt immediately, yuzu

Palate: Brined dark fruits like plums or cherries and lemons, Mexican crema with cumin and lemon juice, it’s sweet tart and lemon but gritty and sandy, dirty and earthy, like tart sour lactose on the front moving into dirt and dark chocolate or espresso, tons of mint moving into the back. Finish is tons of mint, earthy espresso, gravel, savory in a softer and more earthy way, slightly sour, but I get the after taste of black coffee after a minute

Really good first experience with Chacolo for me. Plenty of complexity and adventure to be had in every pour. Something about it’s profile draws me in

Nose: Tar, asphalt, sea salt, mesquite, charred veggies, so many veggies, particularly fresh peppers, under that is something more tangy, like balsamic vinaigrette or apple cider vinegar, kind of has karwinskii wood vibes

Palate and Finish: Wow, I love this palate, it’s pineapple, tart mango yogurt, kiwi, honey, then it quickly switches more meat, leathery, flank steak, after some air there’s like a cream cheese element to it I love. Finish is Finish is on the short side, it’s char, slightly oaky and brine, grilled meat, jerky.

Really nice and plenty of layers. Nose is more industrial and gives me elements of karwinskii wood. Palate and finish are fruit pop turned to savory quickly. Fun mezcal and really unique.

Nose: Earthy, slightly musty, soil, potting soil, slightly herbal and peppery

Palate & Finish: Nuts, fig, chocolate covered raisins, mushrooms, candies pecans, pipe tobacco, grilled carrots, spiced black beans, s’mores. Finish is caramel, blonde coffee, leather, light tobacco, slightly oaky and minty, it’s like an Andies mint on mute

If I had to give this a mezcal a mood it would be dark and brooding. It’s earthy and savory with some spice on the side. I understand why others may not enjoy this but I’m loving it the more sessions I have with it. Really solid

Nose: Vanilla Greek yogurt, tangy lemonade, soil and earthy, creek water, kombucha, blue cheese

Palate & Finish: More sour and bitter on the front end. Lemon sour patch kid. Like biting into a grapefruit or limeade, tart berries, it’s overall pretty tart but not in a bad way, I find it less cheesy on the palate than the nose would suggest and more bitter citrus. Finish has that signature Inaequidens leather and tobacco, more rubbery, soured green tea, bitter burnt coffee, some lactic elements too

Overview: This is a solid Inaequidens and one I think many would be happy with. Part of me wonders if it would benefit from being rested in glass like the Jose Rafael batch. It’s tighter, more bitter and sour. The finish is almost rubbery with a burnt coffee element. While I think a handful would prefer this over the glass rested batch, I definitely find myself in the glass rested camp.

48.9% ABV batch

Nose: Vanilla, cream covered mangoes, limeade, honeysuckle

Palate: Vanilla ice cream on the front, Creamy milk chocolate, caramel, whipped cream, banana skins, fruity light, dessert peppers, slight green on the backend, like carrots or sweet bell peppers. More herbal and mineral on the finish, still nice and light, lemongrass, etc. the Tobala comes through beautifully and very creamy in this. The clay influence is awesome and apparent also. Minty but also soft and creamy. Nice light pepper on the back end.

Overall this is really nice, creamy and fruity with a hint of herb on the finish. The best qualities come out of both the Jabali and the Tobala.

Distilled 2020. ABV 49.7%

Nose: Minerally and fruity. Orange and banana laffy taffy. Light peach, Honeysuckle, fresh basil, fresh cut grass, touch of smoke

Palate & Finish: Starts fruity, pineapple, mangos, then sort of orange citrus, moves to more wet soil, dried fruits particularly citrus, figs, agave. Finish is more clay or wet earth, roasted fruits, burnt oranges, then a long bitter finish, passion fruit like.

This is great. The theme for this one feels like confectionary candy, dried fruits, and wet earth all playing in an awesome band together. Tasty stuff

Nose: Parmesan, red clay mud, playdoh, bbq chips, light honey, light smoke

Palate & Finish: Grilled peppers with a bit of honey, bbq sauce, soil and mud, sort of chalky lime which sort of ends up being cocoa powder as you move into the finish. On the finish, veggies with some brine, tobacco, soil, spicy cocoa, lemon lime zest and bitter rind

I’ve enjoyed the salmiana batches I have tried and this one is no exception. There’s something about the earthy, peppery, light citrus, and cheesy elements that make me want to have another sip. Overall this fits the mold of what I come to expect with a SLP Salmiana and is solid to sip in summer.

This is for the batched distilled in 2017, bottled at 49% ABV.

Nose: Super fresh, slightly spearmint, minerals, green peppers, lemongrass, holiday spices, spa scents

Palate & Finish: honey, mayan or honeydew, papaya, dried chili mango, the karwinskii shows up in brown sugar sweet potatoes, Mildy spicy jalapeños with cinnamon. Finish is pepper, a bit of soil, clay comes in at the finish, a bit of coco and coffee, but the melon still sits there a bit, lemongrass, honeysuckle, lighter on the finish than many clays I’ve had so far

Damn, I enjoy this. Lalo seems to bring out the best qualities of both the Espadin and Tobasiche, putting them together beautifully.

Nose: sweet citrus icing and cream, slightly limey. As it sits a bit longer I get some hints of wet soil and dead leaves.

Palate and Finish: Front of the palate is tangerine, honey covered lemons, tart apple, as it moves to the finish the sweet gives way to tart and brine, like pickled citrus, key lime pie, the mouthfeel becomes leathery and tobacco. The finish is long and while the leathery texture I find so common in Inaequidens is definitely there it fades to more citrus, honey, and a light stoney mineral profile. There’s a slightly grassy vegetal undertone as well.

Awesome stuff and really well integrated. It’s just so sippable with these dominant citrus icing notes.

Nose: Tennis balls like a fresh opened can, soil, sand, slightly cheesy like parmesan, pickled veggies, pine

Palate & Finish: More tennis balls and pine, tangy lemon juice, some pine sap, back end is vinegar bbq sauce, some cherry wood, light mole spice as it moves into the finish but not much. Finish is minty and herbal, leather and tobacco, some light cherry as it fades off

I wouldn’t be able to guess clay is involved here off the mouthfeel but I 100% get the piney elements from the Ayacahuite still. I tend to agree with Jonny’s notes. The nose starts with fresh tennis balls in a way that aligns with the pine, bizarre but can’t mistake it. Then some earth, brine and light cheese. The nose continues nicely on the front of palate with tangy citrus and bbq sauce. Then moves into a more spice forward and herbal finish. The acidity is balance and finish is more bbq and tobacco with herbal cherry, finishing notes I tend to associate with rum. I’m not sure why I expected this to be more fruity but it’s on the bbq, herbal, and leathery side of things. Regardless it’s unique and brings some interesting qualities up front.

Unlike other Karwinskii’s I have had this Bicuixe isn’t dominated by woody notes and is on the briney fruity side. It’s like pickled lemon sour patch kids. Is it sweet? Yes. Is it sour? Yes. Is it salty? Yes! But where all these flavors could all come across pourly integrated these are playing in harmony together. Not to mention the citrusy fruits, minerals, and pickled characters ride all the way though the finish really nicely leaving a nice sweet tart candy mouth feel. I always read Miahuatlan karwinskiis just hit different and this certainly does. Nice stuff from Atenogenes Garcia.

This is the 5th Edition. 53.8% version.

This stuff is terrific and probably my favorite mezcal to date. It’s complex and earthy with nice spicy and fruity elements as well. The more I try it the more I get spicy cocoa and caramel. Then I sip again and get some nice sweet bbq steak. The nose starts slightly woody and herbal like some of my favorite karwinskii profiles before starting to layer in some fruit. The palate starts savory, goes fruity, and then finishes off more earthy and rich. I’ve yet to have a mezcal that taste like it has oak influence like this, but this one truly does and I mean that in the best possible way. It’s like it has another dimension on it. The finish continues the holiday spice and leathery notes. Sometimes when people say spicy I read “hot” but that is not the case here. The 50%+ ABV does beautifully. I always had heard great things about EJ and Pedro Vasquez, I now see why.