I was unimpressed by this as well. I love Coyote, but not this one. It’s a cool bottle, but that’s about it. Also very pricy – almost $100 in Mexico, so I have no idea what they may be trying to get for it in the US or Canada.

NJ-101-17 bottle 058. If such a thing exists, this would be a bargain Tobala. I was a little worried since this line has reposado and anejo and at around 45%, is lower ABV than other lines that only produce joven at 48% – 52%. Not a knockout in terms of complexity, but solid. There is a bit of wood and leather on the nose, the middle is smooth without any huge standout flavors and I get a bit more wood on the finish in the back of the palette. The good news is that the wood flavor is subtle; this mezcal could not carry big smoke or pine.

Lot XAO12-17 921/1050 Alberto Ortiz. I have pretty good variety in my bar. This bottle has evaporated down to the pinky finger on the back of the bottle, while many remain waiting their turn. Hard not to finish the bottle is right. Why? It’s not the nose; you don’t pop it open to savor the aroma. Good four star complex flavor on the palate. I think the smooth, toasted caramel aftertaste really seals the deal on this one.

Update 9/20/18 bottle 923 – perhaps the fact that it is a few months older in the bottle, now there is a lot of butterscotch on the nose. Comparing to some of the Vago Mexicano 90 /10 2014 batch of 841, litres this has a much more enticing nose. The Vago has more of a melon taste in the middle.

DS003-TO Oct 2015 76/826. Found this at Specs in downtown Houston, which has a good a selection I’ve seen in the US so far. Earlier in the day I also went to the Specs at the Galleria, which had very little inventory, but they did have one bottle of the Oct 2014 Vago Mexicano, which has justifiably received high marks. (Cork rather than the silicone stoppers found on more recent Vago.) My third taster of the night is a bottle of the Marca Negra Dobadan XA012-17 I brought back from Mexico. These are all fine additions, with very different notes, but this really, really fine Tobala is the winner. I’ve tried to do
comparisons in the past within the same agave family and would like to see how the Rey Campero holds up against the Jolgorio Tobala, which is excellent too. If you are in Houston, definitely go to the Pastry War at 310 Main. Unfortunately, with a meeting the next morning, I had to behave.

Edicion 07 2014 329/800. Definitely in another class compared to the Rey Campero Mexicano. This one is clay, in a good way, like it was distilled from earth instead of a plant. Aroma on the nose is fantastic. I will be interested to compare this to the Marca Negra Dobadan, which has several fans as well.

D5004-M August 2017 Bottle 88 / 554. Another solid Rey Campero offering Earth, a bit of smoke, smooth mouth feel. The aftertaste lingers and really reminds you of what you were drinking.

Nov 2017 D5006A-T 14 / 790. I continue to be a big fan of the whole Rey Campero line. This is right up there with their Jabali. Some ash and minerals and nice rounded sweetness. Went out for dinner and bought the only remaining bottle in the store to bring back to Texas, which is Jan 2016 DS005-T 102 / 582.

2016 Edition 14 551 / 600. Reynaldo Altamirano Hernandez. Soft-driven, slow and mad, like some new language. Yeah I know, Texas radio and the big beat from the Doors, but that’s what popped into my head. Today is Tepextate comparison day and I cracked the Rey Campero Nov 2017 D5006A-T 14 / 790 first. Great too. Right up there with the RC Jabali, but obviously different. The Jolgorio though, bursting green pepper followed by, grass. A masterpiece.

Dec 2018 – No change in opinion, it’s incredible. Going to Oaxaca next month and this will be on the list. The best Tep I’ve ever had.

SDA-122 Prefer this to the Chichicapa. It’s got some leather / wood which makes it more like drinking a cognac. Wax top – subsequently bought the last remaining bottle on the shelf for backup.

CHI-121 Really solid in all respects. Great nose, flavors on the palate, finish. If any knock, a little too fruity. The Del Maguey Albarradas, in my case ALB-122, is a bit drier and Jolgorio espadin 04 2009 is a bit drier still.

SLR 125 as well. I didn’t experience the metallic taste, but get the not enough going on part. I’ve been drinking this against a couple of the del maguey espadins, It’s a bit smokier, not quite as smooth and a little too sweet. I’m glad I bought the bottle and don’t think it will linger on the shelf. I wonder if this is what Tequila was like before the big companies and their machines came to Jalisco. I also had a bit of Don Julio 1942 and reposado. Under the wood, the similarity was there.

Had this last night with the Jolgorio Tobala, which was the superior, albeit more expensive, juice. Less full-bodied and a bit more metallic. By itself or with some Espadins, maybe it stands out more and is four star, but not against the Jolgorio. I have the the Del Maguey Chicicapa and Santo Domingo Albarradas Espadins, so I’ll have to try the Del Maguey Tobala against them to see if it really shines and justifies double their price.

Edicion 09 2015 bottle 745 / 800 by Gregorio Garcia. This was the Tobala winner last night going up against the Del Maguey over at a friends’s house. More floral and complex. The Del Maguey was very good, but just a bit flatter all around. The bad news this morning is I’ve got a lot less left in my bottle than he has in his bottle. He also had a Cuishe Tobala, which was a distant third. Cuishe here refers to a brand rather than the underlying agave and has numerous other agaves in addition to the Tobala. Our local merchant said this is more of a cooperative of smaller producers in Oaxaca, just as good as the more well-known brands at a much better price since there is not much in the way of marketing cost. So far, this has not proven to be the case with either their Tobala or Tobaziche.

D5007-3 Aug 2016 1196 / 1256 49.2% ABV by Sanchez Parada. Why I haven’t reviewed this before escapes me. Big fan of Rey Campero in general. Consistently well made. It isn’t all about the agave species and its relative rarity, it’s about the people who make it. There are some bottles you open and then make sure to buy (at least) another one the next day before it disappears. This is one of those. No smoke here, but incredibly balanced flavors, great nose, great finish. Really close to clicking on the fifth star here.

DS007-C Sept 2016 692 / 1054 49.5% ABV. Yep, another really solid offering from Rey Campero. Every one I’ve had . . . never disappointed and if you ever see Parada’s Secretos de Yegole Coyote, don’t pass it up. It’s five star unobtanium. Drinking the Cuishe today with two more expensive Jolgorios from the Karwinskii family, the Barril and the Tobaziche. Definitely not the runt of the litter!

Dec 4, 2018 – polished off the bottle last weekend with some friends. Went to restock, which is always a good sign. There were four or five left and one lone RC Jabali on the shelf for a few dollars more, so it got the nod today.

Batch 04 2014 bottle 1338 / 1640 by Ignacio Parada. This is more floral on the mouth than either of the two comparison Karwinskii’s I have sampled with it today. The Rey Campero Cuishe Sept 2016 692 / 1054 by Sanchez Parada is not far behind and is four star juice in my book as well. Great smoky, leather, wood, earth taste on both, but a bit of perfume mixed in with the Jolgorio Barril. I’d give the edge to the Jolgorio, but both are really good. I’m trying to warm to the hotter Jolgorio Tobaziche, which cost more than both of the other bottles combined and leaves my lips burning, but I’m not there.

December 2019 – Smoke, wood and leather again. Yep, got the floral as well. Really good, but not great like Real Minero Largo, so the four star stays where it is.

This was series 02 2014 bottle 363/640 by Pedro Vasquez. Small production and quite expensive. Definitely grassy nose. Very hot on the mouth and a similarly hot finish. The flavors are there, but to keep within the Karwinskii family and the brand, I followed this up with the Jolgorio Barril 04 2014 1338/1640 by Ignacio Parada. Smoother, delightful smokiness, just seemed better made at a little over half the cost. 48.6 vs 48.2 ABV so that wasn’t really a factor.

Super nose on this to start out. We began with some Rey Campero Sierra Negra tonight, which was very tasty. This was more floral. The middle on the mouth was great too. Not sure what to say about the aftertaste though. You would think copper rather than clay. Perhaps just a more mineral finish. Not off putting, but unusual given the rest of the flavors coming out of this. I’m looking forward to trying a limited edition Alipus 100% arroqueno in the next day or so.

Lot D6012-E November 2016. Fruity green fresh nose. Sweet pungent agave in the mouth, not overly hot. Flavorful and drinkable. I bought this bottle on the same day as the Siembra Metl Cupreata, which I gave three stars, for basically the same price. About half of the Rey Campero Espadin remains, whereas I’m still in the curve at the top of the the Siembra Metl bottle. I plan to do a fuller espadin comparison and plan to do some comparisons with the other Rey Campero mezcals. I have very positive thoughts about their Jabali and the rarer Romulo Sanchez Parada Coyote that is put out under a Secretos de Yegole label is truly outstanding.

Dec ’15 Lot 20. Middle of the fairway easy drinking. Sip, swallow, repeat. However, it lacks the nose and as a result, no anticipatory tingling or salivating from the rear edges of my taste buds. More complex mezcals that I wold rate higher have more of a glycerine mouth feel that spreads over the tongue and there is more lingering over the flavors before swallowing.