astor pick (46%) ENSPMV2104

nose: coconut, vanilla, carrot cake, snowpeas, tinged with passionfruit, touch of rye bread

palate: lime cordial, chocolaty, toasted coconut, walnut,

this is bomb. 8+/10. only real issue here is the finish. too woody for me.

batch info: Lot DS002-E+P (52.3%)

nose: very earthy, some sasparilla, ripe jackfruit, nutty, rye bread, apricots

palate: pineapple, hazelnuts, ripe jackfruit, caramel,

overall quite good, but really annoying finish. i think i know what dryer sheets mean from this finish? also pretty hot. if it weren’t for the finish i’d like this a lot. 6+/10

Seems I’m reviewing a different batch than the other reviewers. BATCH SUPPORT sure would be a welcome feature.

batch: MK002/17MOB (48.1%)

nose: banana bread, some clove, pork fat, creme soda, rosemary, chalkboard, roasting nuts, a touch of lime

palate: touch hot though not in a bad way, similar to the nose, but the nuts are more central, really nice mouthfeel here, some pepper, oddly malty, sweet but not overbearingly so, some sweet potato, finish adds sugar plums to the mix

solid. very engaging, enjoyable nose. palate delivers something similar to what the nose promises, but it’s balanced differently. finish has a nice length, but hot. I’d probably say 6+ for this one. close to being damn good, but the bitterness/heat punch toward the end of the palate and the simplicity hold it back for me.

2019 46.3% (BXCEL1905)

nose: juicy oranges, green tea, spinach, kinda reminds me of sotol, as it sits the nose leans fruitier – even some mango,

palate: mango fruit leather, quite sweet, brussel sprouts toward the finish and gets a bit harder with time

pretty solid. better finish than the 2020 but less exciting in all other regards. with time i think the fruit comes out more and the finish gets a bit worse. overall probably a 6+/10?

2020 48% (BXCEL2004)

nose: mango, coconut cream, graham cracker crust, quite pleasantly musty

palate: sweet, thick and delicious, toward the finish it gets prickly and a bit more bitter, tastes of cantaloupe, touch of pomegranate, finish is in artichokes, pond water, still some fruit, finish mollifies with time

the finish gets much better over time but it’s initially pretty trying. the fruit here is dark, musky and delicious. a pretty unique mezcal. 7/10

REALLY challenging to assign a rating to this one because there’s no batch system! and i have two different scores!

Maguey Melate Madre Cuixe – Adela Del Carmen Cruz Antonio (56.7%)

Batch: ADE-MAD-001

Nose: pretty aggressive nose, classic karwinskii aromas – green beans, fig jam, straw, boiled chestnuts, bit grassy

Palate: pretty hot, very nutty and earthy, dates in the middle holding it together, fairly drying/tannic finish,

5/10 this is decent. i do enjoy this profile but it’s too hot and too drying/tannic at the end to really call it an enjoyable pour. probably discontinuing my maguey melate subscription soon.

Clande Bienvenido Fernandez “Green” Lot 6 (45.4%)
Wheeleri/Shrevei

nose: rosemary, snap peas, aleppo red pepper, apricot/kumquat, arugula, teeny bit of vanilla, quite strong and punchy, bit of shortbread cookies

palate: fantastic mouthfeel, a bit of mango and honey in the center, strong herbs, chard, arugula, very intense flavors

Bienvenido does not miss. I do feel the profile on the palate was a bit heavy on the herbs, but otherwise great. Finish is quite long. Maybe a hair hot? 7/10 but I’m waffling between a 7 and a 8.

I’d also like to review other clande greens on here, but I’m not sure how to submit two reviews without some sort of batch distinction feature on the site.

batch info: Bienvenido Fernandez Lot 1 (49.3%)

nose: this nose is unlike any other lechuguilla I’ve had, much brighter, lemongrass, citrus, sweet earthy funk, forest floor, hazelnuts, bit of dryer sheets, apricots, oregano

palate: more in line with what I’d expect but so full and punchy, cola, sugar plums, peanut butter, honey, some earthy aromatics – tealike, I don’t know my teas so the best I can say is a delicate black tea, some more fruit briefly show their face toward the finish – maybe passionfruit or apricots, the earthiness grows and lingers longer, maybe even some shellfish in the finish? like grilled shrimp

YUM. This is probably the best lechuguilla I’ve had. I’m a fan of shrevei/churique generally, but this takes the cake over the two Tavi batches and two Lupe batches I’ve tried. Tough to score on a bar pour, but maybe a 9? Wish I could find a bottle for purchase.

I’d also like to review my Tavi Torres lot 3 on here, but I’m not sure how to submit two reviews without some sort of batch distinction feature on the site.

batch info: BCXCAN1905 summer 2020 california exclusive

nose: intensely herbal, vinegar, white grapes, unripe honeydew

palate: green beans, honey, fresh pears, a bit of an industrial note, finishes in pear jam, drying oak, window cleaner, faint cedar

astonishingly hot for 46%. just a collage of acrid and acidic notes. generally unpleasant, and the finish lingers so long in the worst possible ways. honestly nothing comes together here. the best part is the palate and it’s at best middling. 3/10

also a great example of why different batches should have separate pages/rankings

Lot 1 (46.1%)

nose: really green, snap peas, lake water, moss, fresh-cut plants, rosemary, so fresh and wet

palate: mint, green flowers, but with some sweetness to balance it out, finishes with weed, earth, something between chocolate and coffee

this is a fun, complex spirit. i certainly can’t turn to it on every evening, but whenever i need a big smack of freshness. some harsh, bitter notes toward the finish but I think they work there. finish lingers far longer than I expected. 7+/10

MXTC05-01 (46.3%)

nose: mushrooms, lactic funk, aleppo pepper, kumquats, very earthy

palate: WHOAH what is that flavor, there’s just this big earth-meatish flavor that grips you, mangos alongside, passionfruit, evolves toward stonefruit – more apricot than plum, dried herbs, some honest to god ex-bourbon peat toward the end, finishes more in a drying ctirusy range

I’m thoroughly impressed by this sample. Beautifully thick mouthfeel very round. Really hoping I can find a full bottle though I’m sure they’re long gone. 9/10

Vol. 7/Lot 1 (46.5%)

Nose: cherry and lime candies, leather, very bright with some sweetness, and a musty/nutty flavor underneath

Palate: enters with bright lime candy. really the main thing you get here. more heat than you’d expect given the proof. some pith and smoked meats accompany the lime toward the finish but read as just bitter and unrelated rather than providing much-needed complexity.

not crazy about this one. not seeing the complexity others are getting. the lime candy thing is pleasant but i need more than that out of a spirit – especially one with a pretty watery mouthfeel and such heat. probably my least favorite of the chacolos i’ve tried, though I wouldn’t decline a pour. 5/10

agave mixtape batch

nose – pine needles, gasoline, maybe persimmon, raisins, milk chocolate

palate – soft, fresh herbs like oregano or rosemary or thyme, then sweet pears, sweet potato, weed/gasoline and black pepper in the middle. exits with pine, honey, same herbs, drying effect.

pretty solid i’d say 6/10. nothing mind blowing but all around pleasant and enough complexity to keep one’s attention. perhaps a touch hot on the finish, but a really pleasant round mouthfeel especially given the proof.