Lot 001 September 2021
Bottle 16/60 – 45 liter batch
Capon 4 years

Note: You can definitely smell this is higher ABV, but not in a bad way. Smells bright, with notes of tart fruit, tobacco, citrus, and minerals.

Flavors: Sour orange, tobaccos, agave sweetness. It has a slightly lactic note similar to unsweetened greek yogurt, leaving your mouth dry. If you like sweet tart candies you would love this.

The finish is medium – long, you can tell this is higher abv but it doesn’t have a bad alcohol burn. This was very enjoyable, glad I picked up a bottle.

Lot 2 July 2022
Bottle 63/154 – 116 liter batch

Nose: Vegetle, Green, grassy, hints of bright citrus like a tart grapefruit. Creamy with a slight lactic undertone.

Flavor: Creamy, tart, almost unsweetened yogurt taste. leaves your mouth dry (in a good way). Notes of unripe fruit, good but not overly sweet, more bitter and sour notes but very enjoyable.

Great creamy mouthfeel and the spirit fully coats your mouth and has a medium finish.

I would drink and buy again. I recommend it.

Nose – Typical Tepeztate nose, you can’t miss that this is a tepeztate: green bell pepper, fresh sliced Jalapeno, black pepper, and citrus. Aromas are intense, I could smell this while it sat on the table even before lifting the copita to smell it.

Flavor – as Zack mentioned in his review this is like a rollercoaster, it starts out light and then surprises you with flavor on the mid and back palate. Flavors of roasted peppers and a hint of mint on the finish. If you are a fan of tepeztate mezcals this won’t disappoint.

Good viscosity that coats the mouth well, and a medium to long finish. If you are on the fence this one is worth picking up.

2021 tbl02/21
Bottle 919/1038

Nose: full nose with notes of minerals, agave, and citrus

Flavor: punch of agave flavor with notes of citrus and earthy minerals. You can tell this is clay pot and it taste great. Medium finish that is enjoyable.

My favorite from their line up so far.

2021 lote cyt02/21
Bottle 936/996

Nose: sweet agave nose but not very complex, slight mineral notes as well.

Flavor: This mezcal flacking that punch of flavor I expect from clay pot mezcal. It’s good but not great and the finish is short and not exciting.

2022 lote esp01/22
Bottle 1291/2080

Typical espadin nose agave, fruit, earth notes.

Flavor wise this is enjoyable but doesn’t have quite the finish I would expect from a 50%abv clay pot mezcal.

Lot 1/19
Aroma – roasted agave, citrus, and tropical fruit

Flavor – roasted agave, black pepper, citrus, and mineral notes.

$65 arroqueno was what intrigued me. Not disappointed with my purchase this is a nice everyday sipper for the price. Nothing overly complex but solid none the less.

Aroma – Cooked Agave, slight notes of Carmel and butterscotch, minerals, wet stone, subtle oak notes, cinnamon and baking spices.

Flavor – creamy mouthfeel with notes of cooked agave, oak, unripe banana, cinnamon, black pepper and a slight peanut note on the finish. The finish was medium long and enjoyable.

This is a treat, well rounded reposado that keeps the agave as the star of the show while incorporating the best parts of the barrel. I was impressed with the finish for a 40% abv product. I think it’s important to note that this product is more similar to tequila in terms of production and flavor profile and my review has that in mind.

Aroma – fruity nose, but has a strong alcohol smell to it as well that is a little overpowering. Roasted agave as well.

Flavor – rush a fruity melon flavors on the front end of the pallet. Mouthfeel is fairly thin and doesn’t cost the mouth particularly well. Finish is very alcoholic and bitter, not particularly enjoyable. Not offensive but not great either.

At the price point I can’t recommend this bottle for purchase.

Lot RJ09-22
Bottle 7441/11880

Aroma – nose is smoked with a hint of Roasted agave. Strong smell of alcohol for a 44% abv

Taste – Smoke overpowers the agave, not very complex but a very one note mezcal. Also pretty hot for a 44% abv. There is a hint of rubber on the finish as well. Not offensive but not particularly enjoyable either. Might do well in a cocktail.

I don’t recommend purchasing this, too much better stuff on the market.

Wow! What a treat, killed a bottle of this at my buddies bar in PDX.

Full of flavor, definitely recommend picking it up if you have the chance

Lot 95008BE
Bottle 1041/1333

Nose is inviting sweet and warm notes of cinnamon and fresh baked pan dulce. Citris notes as well.

Flavors nutty flavors on the pallet with a citrus finish. The finish is medium long and enjoyable. Baking spices mixed in a well. Very savory.

Lot D51
Bottle 68

Aromas – Strong aroma of cooked agave, along with some tropical fruit like a mango. A hint of citrus on the nose as well.

Flavors – Roasted agave and citrus, with a nice mineral note you don’t always get from copper pot distillates. I also get a slight mint note on the back of the pallet. Good mouthfeel and an excellent medium-long finish.

This is an excellent Espadin, I would recommend this for entry-level drinkers as well as more experienced mezcal drinkers. A perfect daily sipper.

Lot 7px14
Bottle 575/660

Aroma: Sweet aromas on the nose. Nose is slightly muted I don’t get as much from This as I’d like from a Tepeztate.

Flavors: thin mouthfeel, sweet with a decent amount of smoke. Tepeztate seems hidden in this, wish it was the star of the show.

Lot: SMS003F/19 bottle 479/750
Tio Felix

Aroma – mineral notes from the clay pot come through strong, you can smells the espadin and arroqueno separately as well. Roasted agave and Citrus for days.

Flavor – earthy and mineral notes from the clay pot. Espadin flavor profile dominates. Mouthfeel is a little thin and the finish is strong and medium long.

Lot D5010-T bottle 240/676

Aroma – Nice nose, green bell pepper and jalapeño you’d expect from a Tepeztate. Light hint of mint as well. Very inviting.

Flavor – medium complexity of flavor. Enjoyable sipper. Mint forward that round out to some jalapeño notes on the mid pallet. Finish ends with a black pepper note and medium finish.

Lot B00247E4319 05/216 (2019)

Aroma – sweet, almost smells like a espadin vs a Tepeztate.

Taste – sweet at first, probably the sweetest Tepeztate I’ve ever had. Tepeztate characteristics get lost behind the sweetness and there is a note on the back end of the pallete that is very bitter compared to the sweetness. Medium long finish.

It’s not bad but I am missing some key Tepeztate notes in this that I was expecting.

Lot P1-05
46.12% ABV

Aroma: Bubble Gum, slight lactic note, mango, sweet citrus, and roasted agave.

Flavor: Lactic note from the nose comes through on the palette as well, I enjoy it and think it adds a nice layer of complexity to the spirit. Bubblegum notes on the palette as well. Prune-like fruit coming through as well… almost like a fruit leather flavor.

Medium finish with an average mouthfeel.

This is solid for the price. A great mezcal to sip, mix, and introduce others to mezcal with. This is also a solid bottle to have on the shelf for connoisseurs to pull down as a daily sipper.

Lot:006
No: 263
ABV 48%

Excellent Cenizo coming out of Durango. Delightful sipper, It has enough complexity to keep you interested sip after sip but not so complex that you can simply unwind with a copita of this mezcal.

Aromas: Agave, mint, fresh-cut bell pepper, citrus (think orange peel), raw asparagus, hints of anise, cinnamon, and black pepper.

Flavors: Agave, raw jalapeno and bell pepper, cinnamon, anise, tangy with a black pepper finish. The finish was medium long and enjoyable. The mezcal had a good mouthfeel and coated the mouth nicely.

This is a great sipper to have on hand. I find myself coming back to it regularly to explore everything that the cenizo has to offer, and for the price, it’s hard to beat. If you are on the fence about buying it or not I would recommend picking it up.