Nose of salt water, aged cheese, and clay. Taste falls a little flat for me. Mesquite wood, a touch of sweetness, and alcohol bite. Thin in the mouth. Sips ok but lacking.
80 proof. Faint nose, could be mistaken for a high-barley white whiskey if I didn’t know better. Flavor is also faint with notes of caramelized banana and the pepperiness of tequila. Medium bodied. Flavors of green hay and fresh wood remain in the mouth.
Lote: 03/19
Nose is plastic, green peppercorn, and bell pepper flesh. Taste is a bit of a surprise. Sweet up front followed by spiciness reminiscent of serrano or shoshito peppers and Tobasco sauce. Finish is jalapeno stuffed green olives. Light bodied but not thin.
Aroma of marinated feta and olives. Boozy heat up front in the mouth followed by provolone, leather, and menthol. Turbinado sugar sweetness coats the tongue and roof of the mouth. Toasted oak leaves the mouth feeling full on the finish. Of the expressions I’ve had from the Tio Pesca line-up so far, this is my favorite.
47% ABV. No batch or bottle number. Aroma of damp terra cotta, potting soil, and green olive brine. The fragrance has a cheesiness reminiscent of a raicilla. Alcohol heat up front in the mouth that numbs the lips. Taste is charred wood, a touch of plastic, clay, and some sips reveal sweetness and flavors of hard fruit candy. Finish is smoky and slightly vegetal with a pleasant aftertaste.
Lot CHI-206
Having trouble picking up distinct aromas in this one. Cooked agave is too generic but it’s what I get. Roasty but not smoky on the nose. Sweet and boozy in the glass. Taste is caramel, booze, parsley, and mint. Medium-full body leaning toward full. Finish is hot, sweet, and leafy herbs. I find this simple but tasty.
Mexicat Sotol Artesanal
Batch 504 1
450 liters
Bottle 381 of 600Nose of aloe, seasoned mesquite, and fingerling potato.
Light bodied mouthfeel, alcoholic vapors vanish quickly in the mouth.
Flavors of cactus, mesquite smoke, and citrus zest. Vegetal and smoky flavors linger in the back of the throat long after the sip is gone.
Overall a nicely made beverage. Flavorful yet subtle. A great introduction to Mexican spirits for the blended Scotch drinker on your life.
Light nose but heaviest characteristic is oak and other wood smoke. Green apple and wintergreen are present, too.
Medium-full palate, nice an oily to coat the mouth and tongue with no burn.
Beautiful complex, smoky flavor with leather. I’m really enjoying this one and even more now that I found out the <US$40 price point.
Bottle Lot VID-193
This is the base mezcal for my version of a Oaxaca old fashioned cocktail in which it performs beautifully. This review is of a neat pour to evaluate this product on its merits without mixing.Nose is magic marker, cactus, and faint strawberry.
Flavor is mint, tobacco, vinyl, and pepper.
Light palate but a better mouthfeel than I’ve found from alternatives at this price point.
Overall this is a satisfactory sipper and a great mixer. It’s a value pick to have as a versatile bottle in any home or commercial bar.
80% Tepeztate 20% Espadín
368 Litres, June 2018Subdued aroma of wax, honeycomb, and mulberry leaves
Medium-light bodied. Starts off thin but has a lightly pleasant viscosity that reveals itself mid-palate.
In the mouth I get nail polish remover, fresh mint leaf, custard, pepper, and pine.
Batch MO01. 47.1% ABV. Bottled exclusively for Moreno’s Liquors.
Bottle #22/126.Aroma of dates, biscuit crackers, and campfire smoke.
Medium-full bodied in the mouth. Viscous enough to coat the tongue and gums in a pleasant way and leaving heat to linger along the gum line.
Earthy flavor of clay, parsley, and very peat-like smoke that Islay Scotch drinkers will enjoy. There’s more here and I’m having trouble isolating the subtleties and putting them into words. May update later but I’m just enjoying savoring this now without too much thought.
Overall a very delicious quaff and one that gets more sophisticated as it opens up.
Batch 2A/18 1200 bottles
Subtle nose but as you inspect closer you find big aromas of tropical fruit coupled with mint and pipe tobacco.
Medium bodied with heat that announces itself quickly but gives way to a myriad of flavors.
Yellow cake, green grapes, spearmint, and fresh cut wood.
I’ve had half a bottle of this over the last few months and this is my first time reviewing. Every time I’ve poured a glass it’s been better than the last. This is a great Espadin to have on your bar and I think I’m going to have to find another bottle to share.
April 2019 bottling
Sweet nose. Taffy, circus peanut candy, banana, and nail polish.
Light bodied but hot in the mouth. Heat lingers long on the gums after the sip is gone.
Flavors of mint and straw dominate.
Well constructed and not for the faint of heart. A distinctive expression of tobala.
June 2014 Bottling
Big nose that hits you from arm’s length with aromas of caramel, banana, tobacco, spearmint, and wintergreen.
Slippery in the mouth and very pleasing on the palate. Coats the tongue and roof of the mouth. Significant booziness that numbs the lips and leaves a warmth in the throat.
Taste is a wild ride across different layers of flavors. Sweet up front with agave syrup, flan, and caramel. Following that is leather and dried leaves, finished off with mint and dehydrated orange peel. Earlier sips showed jalapeño pepper but not as much in the follow ups.
Bold and assertive, sweet and flavorful. A real treat from the master.
Series 3 2018
Nose: Ash, celery, and sea air
Palate: Medium-bodied but coats the tongue
Taste: Some alcohol burn up front, charred wood, peat moss, and grass. A drop of water really opens this up bringing forward a fruitiness that’s is absent without it.
Lot 7, April 2017, 498 liters
I love this raicilla. This is my fourth pour from the bottle over the last month and am finally getting around to reviewing it.
Nose: Provolone cheese, green olive brine, and a hint of underripe berry.
Palate: Full-bodied, creamy and smooth.
Taste: Boozy in the mouth but the creaminess of the body makes the heat fade pretty quickly and give way to the bouquet of flavors dominated by beeswax, tart cherry, and green hay.
I could make the argument for 5 stars pretty easily.