Piney smell (best thing I thought it had going for it), which probably resulted from the fermentation. Overall I got strong ethanol / alcohol tastes, with some mintyness. Overall it just seemed a bit “cheap” and really not that good or interesting for me. 2.25

Fresh flowers and butter on the nose…classic espadín but more fragrant. Full mouth feel with some tartness/lemon-heads at the end with some more flowers. With bit of a funk that I love. Wish I had a bigger bottle as I think this one could benefit from some oxygen/resting. These 50ml bottles go quick! 3.75

This one is by far the best from the Leyenda sample pack I tried. Great smell with some sweet, vegetal, & cream funk. Greenish notes along with jalapeno on the taste. Great balance of smoke and bite at the end. Very surprised! 3.75
Lote: DMRL1119
Review #47

Watery, mild, weak, and overall bland…. some light smoke at the end. Yep, that’s it.
Lote: DLSL1119
Review #46

Not my favorite from Leyenda. Strong smell of jalapeno, which is probably the best thing it has going for it. Some green olive and green on the taste. A bit watery for me, and frankly doesn’t seem too much to this one. 2.75. Lote: ISJL1119

MJ03-15.
Great & clean smell and overall taste. I’m still not the biggest fan of a Mexicano, but this one gives nothing to complain about (and could be my favorite to date). Cream with vegetal notes on both smell & taste. Also very sweet & smooth, but not as deep or complex or unique enough to get more of a higher rating for me. Review #44

Not enough can be said about how GREEN and bright and classically smooth this one is. Can’t believe it’s a 52% ABV, as I don’t get any ethanol or strong alcohol kicks. Green peppers and some sweetness – peaches perhaps. Some mint, slight pepper & spice hint. Light, clean, and CRISP on finish – bravo! Lote: 0218

A-2R-TR-18 (80% Tep, 20% Espadin)
Smell is green and tep-like. Taste though seems a bit watery and light (says a lot considering it’s 52%). There’s definitely tepeztate notes in there, although not as strong or pronounced as I prefer. Light cream and maybe some custard notes. I do love teps, and wanted this one to be excellent.
Review #117

Very fragrant and perfumey on the nose. Creamy and green throughout! Smooth and rich. Great D.M right here!

Very creamy…notes of pine needles and some butterscotch on the finish. Clean and simple, but not as complex as expected. I purchased a 200ml taster, and happy I did. For ~$90 on a 750ml I could think of a dozen other bottles off hand that I think are money better spent. Slightly better than the ‘Oaxaca’ L.D mezcal, but for price I’d go with the other one all day.

Sweet with tropical notes as others have pointed out, with the best part being that it seems to carry a distinguished orange peel smell. Taste is a bit too much ethanol and the finish is a tad harsh. Very different then the other L.D. Michocan mezcal, and more complex (surprising to me considering the price difference between the two). This one to me seems more of a fit for cocktails vs a copita.

Only a matter of time before I got to this one. Overall pretty light, slightly smokey, and not a whole lot of complexities to speak of. Light ethanol. Not bad for a sipper, but a lot better for a good mix drink. The smell (slightly fruity) seems to be better than the actual taste. This one has done a lot for Del Maguey, but has to be the weakest link in their reputable chain of mezcals.

Lote: A-01-El-20 from March 2020.
This one is really great. Surprisingly smooth and well balanced given the 50%+ABV. I do taste the corn throughout, although it’s subtle & not overbearing. Fruitiness & some burnt caramel bring this together very nicely. Full, round body. Great value in my opinion, and so this one might be my regular for a ‘mid-level’ espadin.

Bit perfumey on the nose (in a good way), along with being very sweet with berry fruitiness. Could be the most complex from the Banhez line, as well as one of my favorite from them (Cuishe is up there). Overall (I only had a small sample unfortunately), this was just really delicious & smooth. 4.25

Gun powder and pepper (smell of gun cleaner too), but well balanced. If anything maybe a bit too much heat at the finish. I’m still up in the air about my personal preference to mexicanos, and this one certainly didn’t improve, or lower, my ‘indecisiveness’ on this particular agave type. 3.75

Could be my favorite of the Banhez line (close to the Jabali, but below the Tep). Got some mint & tropical fruit with some heat on the finish. Overall very tasty, and the smell was intoxicating (not as much as the taste of course 😉

Very unique taste with licorice/anise. Very sweet with some orange peel, cream, and sage. Balanced smoke & not too hot. I like like the attempt here, but not sure I’d proactively go for it again.

This is a unique tobala. Not getting the sweetness & flavors I would expect from this agave. The clay seems to also mellow it out a bit, although the taste doesn’t have overt minerality. Light butter, some green/vegetal in the taste. Good spice & smoke balance, but hard to rate this one higher for Melate when compared with the companion Tep. bottle.

Wow! This is absolutely delicious – the best by Melate, and could be my favorite mezcal to date. Defeats the E.J Tep. This one is super vegetal and green on the nose. Also get some perfume & bubblegum. This is all over the place . . . in a good way. Candy & fruity sweet along with your classic Tep tastes: green bell peppers & jalapeños. Not too hot or spicy, well balanced, with a clean & light finish (However, I continue to taste sweetness and “green” long after the finish). 4.75. Well done!!

Strong notes of some BBQ, but also slightly sweet (reminiscent of a tequila). Very woody/oaky and earthy – all in a good way. Overall this one is really good.