Nose: slight floral, some ash, sea water, damn this nose is no joke, Jonny is spot on with the chives and grass clippings, salted oranges
Palate: a little fruitier than the nose would lead on but quickly bitter and under ripe like chile spiced papaya, Jalapeno peppers, cinnamon, there’s a creamy element moving to the finish that reminds me of Horchata. Finish is mineral, graphite, mesquite, and grapefruit rind, then green pepper as it sits
This is some good stuff. It’s complex, layered, and keeps you engaged throughout. Will enjoy this bottle!
Batch TBRP19. Batch for Aficionados, left in open air demijohn for 25 months
Nose: creamy veggies, vanilla, canned corn, nice minerality, plenty of green pepper, a bit of tart acidity
Palate and finish: fruity with a veggie edge. I can taste the mango and citrus specifically orange underneath but it’s got a nice layer of charred peppers and green apple skins over top. Moving into the finish is minerality, ash, a bit of mint and Jalapeno. The most definitive graphite flavor I’ve gotten.
Very good stuff. I think I prefer Alberto’s batch from Sentidos but this is still very solid. Plenty of green pepper and veggies with a little fruit hiding underneath
tasted this blind
Nose: citrus, yogurt, minerality, lemon cream
Palate: more citrus, some herbs, cilantro, lemon, some char. Finish is slightly lemon, yogurt, lemongrass, sweet peppers
This isn’t complex but doesn’t have anything bad going for it either. Solid espadin! I would recommend to someone looking for a cabinet staple
Nose: oh yeah this is definitely clay pot, tons of fig newton, fudge, tomato based sweet bbq sauce, ketchup
Palate: mmm nice earth, dried dates, soil, dark cocoa, orange marmalade, moving to the finish is mesquite spice. Minerality persist as a foundation through the finish as I get some nice Burnt ends. Finish is crispy burnt ends, carnitas, charred orange, more soil
A solid and enjoyable clay pot Arroqueno. I dig it more and more as I sip.
ABV: 43%
Nose: Greek yogurt, leather, wood varnish, lemon, lavender, cucumber
Palate: light thin mouthfeel but solid. Grapefruit, tart mango, some ginger, camphor, shoe polish, leans more citrus, then floral perfume like moving into the finish. Finish is pine, herbal lemongrass, a bit vegetal, flowers, pouporri
Overall this is cool stuff given the location it comes from and production. I can see the leather jacket note Rakhal mentions, particularly oil used on leather. Super interesting
Nose: Citrus, melon, salted cucumber, slightly briney and sea water
Palate and Finish: grapefruit, tart strawberries, turmeric, cherry, moving toward the finish is rooibos tea, soil. Finish is white pepper, asphalt, lemon lime.
This stuff just keeps getting better as I sip it. I get a lot of elements of Guerrero I love but damn is that strawberry note unmistakable. Love it
Batch SEM-ARR-001. 47%
Nose: wet earth, juicy fruit, light mangoes, passionfruit, wet herbs
Palate: solid fruit, mangoes, pineapple, fig, red apple, soil, cocoa powder, rock. Finish is white pepper, more cocoa, some cinnamon and clove
This stuff is great. Nothing wild and complex but down right delicious. Would be happy with a bottle
Nose: rotten melon, overnight oats, coconut cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, petrichor
Palate: syrupy caramel on the front end, tangy vanilla, cantaloupe, candied limes. Finish is honey jalapenos and minerality.
This is layered complex and beautiful. Just unreal good. The mouthfeel is great and no type of note dominates. Let so well put together.
Update: Tried this next to the Melate Benigno and they are definitely different. Melate is all fruit and tangy. This has more layers, spice and minerality. Both are fantastic
Nose: Mustard, honeysuckle, cilantro, slightly melony, petrichor
Palate: herbal melon? (if that’s a thing), more mustard, herbal limeade, popsicle stick, peanuts, moving into the finish it’s got some minerality but a bit more tangy. Finish is lime, graphite, a blast of herbs as it settles down. Sage, cilantro
Solid but not quite as fun or layered as Felipe’s bicuixe. A good madrecuixe any day though.
Nose: Pineapple, green apple, fruitier than I expected, yellow starburst, wet concrete, a little bit of herbs in there like lemongrass
Palate: Fruit continues, kiwis, citrus runts, lemon lime gatorade, towards the back I get some wet stone, charred green peppers. Finish is honey jalapenos, mint, sugar covered grapefruit, and herbs like sage that sit for a while. Mouthfeel is a little chalky which I love.
This stuff is awesome and probably my favorite of the ImpEx so far (haven’t tried Madrecuixe yet). It’s on the fruity side with some nice tart fruits I really enjoy finding in agave.
Nose: Tons of green and herbal, green wood, mesquite, rhododendron, lemon
Palate & Finish: sweet orange, popsicle stick, mustard seeds, green mangos, banana skins, lemongrass, seaweed. Finish is granite, minerality, burnt peppers and veggies, cocoa
This isn’t crazy complex but still really enjoyable and good. It’s got a lot of the Miahuatlán Karwinskii notes I love and enjoy
Nose: Fermented herbs, lemongrass, thyme, yogurty lemon lime, pineapple, kiwi, cilantro, slightly karwinskii like, mustard
Palate & Finish: Mmm lovely herbs on this too. Lemongrass, cilantro, cumin, whoa cinnamon, more cinnamon, mineral but not too bitter which I usually find. grapefruit almost, I do get the Jabali soap but not in a bad way at all, it’s like lemon Dawn. Finish is soft citrus, lavender, slate, more herbals and floral, the herbal and floral sits for a very long time
Really layered and complex. Love the way the cinnamon and herbal elements are blended in together. Great stuff. Diego is a producer I will be watching out for.
Nose: Sour mangoes, yogurty, as I sip I get a little pine and some of those herbs on the nose, grilled carrots maybe, tart berries
Palate & Finish: Some nice herbs I didn’t expect, lemongrass, cilantro, creamy papaya, mango, sweet lemon, chile powder, garlic, minerality at the back, asphalt, slate. Finish continues bitter graphite and citrus, then a bit of white pepper and tangy mustard, slightly leathery, and plenty of floral elements overtime, lilac and lavender
Easy 4.5 for me. Hits the great fruit and minerality with some good herbs. Lovely!
Nose: Citrus, lime oil, olive oil, smoked pineapple, some pine
Palate & Finish: Mesquite, lime, eucalyptus, cedar plank, green nuts, very green and almost more karwinskii like than tobala fruity. Finish is sage, potpourri, bitter grapefruit, ginger
Solid and enjoyable from Victor. A little more floral and herbal than I expected but good.
ABV: 51.1%
Nose: Nose is nice and earthy, some clay, mulch, mango, plums, play doh.
Palate: wow, this is great. Confectionery fruit, soft pear, banana, coconut, soft velvety mouthfeel, then it quickly flips to cocoa, earthy, licorice moving to the finish. Finish is graphite, smokey potting soil?, tobacco, you get a clay chalkiness
This is awesome and exactly what I look for in a clay Arroqueno. Fruit in the front and clay earth in the back Lovely stuff.
ABV: 51%
Nose: barnyard hay, a bit of yogurt, corn kernels, pine, as it sits I get some melon
Palate and Finish: soft melon, lime, white pepper, vanilla yogurt, sweet corn, honeydew. Finish is soft minerality, white pepper.
Really good. Not what I expect from Mexicano.
Batch E-10-MC-20 ABV: 50.5%
Nose: milk chocolate, mesquite, pine, rain water, mulch
Palate and Finish: Chile Orange, grapefruit, pine sap, lemon, moving to the finish I get some peanut butter, light chocolate, cinnamon, cumin, white pepper on the finish
Solid karwinksii. I’ve had a bottle of this and as it’s aired out it’s continues to get better. Good stuff
Lot: TX1-18 ABV: 48%
Nose: celery, lemon lime, menthol almost tooth paste level, tons of peppers, green peppers with salt
Palate and Finish: lemon lime Gatorade, a bit of melon, cilantro plenty of minerality bitterness, grilled veggies, slate, then moving into the finish some herbs, sage, more menthol
Solid Tep for the price. Not gonna blow anyone away but very approachable regardless
Batch: 0122VtR ABV: 47.9%
Nose: mint, lemon dryer sheets, gravel, lemongrass, slightly herbal, sandalwood
Palate: fruity, yellow dragonfruit, banana, moves to more vegetal, grilled corn, char. Bitter on the finish, grapefruit, slightly floral
Fruit forward and sweet veggies. Love this stuff, not over complicated but so easy to drink
Nose: Fresh peppers, citrusy, more lime than lemon but both there, brine and minerality, sour patch lemon. After it sits a minute I get some barnyard funk.
Palate: It has this almost creaminess to it at first, like a key lime or lemon meringue, but then that dissipates quickly into a finish of bitter grapefruit, raw vegetal, green bell peppers, and earth. Finish is charred jalapeno, salted citrus and soil
Consistent Salmiana at a great price. Can’t beat that