49.7% abv, 2.5 ounce sample

Nose: apple, incense, wax, butane, spring rain

Palate: rich sweet, candied apple, orange, clove, dry mouthfeel, sweet tarts, solid pepper heat, and earthy. After getting some air, a spiced apple cake flavor comes through strongly.

Very much enjoyed this sample, and it had enjoyable combined elements from the terroir of the region as well as flavors from the mexicano. Definitely a fan. My notes differ from the other reviewers a bit, not getting the cocoa or the coffee notes, maybe the earthy note that I was getting on the backend. 4.25 stars out of five.

49.6% abv 2.5 ounce sample

Nose: spice, baked cookies, moist brown sugar

Palate: prune, plum, clove, black pepper heat, sweet peppers, molasses, tart cherry, and herbal flavors (mint primarily) after getting plenty of air.

Really enjoyable expression, cupreata has been one of my favorite agaves of late. Michoacán cupreatas are a bit different than those from Guerrero, though the aging in glass makes it hard to find those notes as clearly. This one reminds me of the cupreata (Chino) from La Luna. Really complex and opens up when you give it plenty of time to get air.

48.5% abv 2.5 ounce sample

Nose: Latex, sand and gravel, sea foam, and cooked sweet rice

Taste: Drying mouthfeel, one of the driest altos that I have had. Oatmeal, pine, heat, light salinity,, tart Valencia orange, dryer sheet, slight minerality. After being open for a while, I got some anchovy.

Not as big a fan of this as others, this expression was super dry for me. That tends to be a quality of altos, and having had some other offerings from Oponguio (the brand) and this was much drier than their seco. I do like inaequidens in general and this one is worth sampling.

48.8% abv, Bottle 744, Batch#RAF-INA-001

Love these mezcals aged in glass for multiple years. Flavors are very rounded: celery bitters, menthol, cucumber and pickle juice, graham cracker, rosemary, cooked greens, not as lactic as other inaequidens, clove and allspice, butter-like mouthfeel, gingerbread. One of my favorites from MM this year, and that is saying something because each offering was of very high quality.

45% abv, Bottle 36 Batch: RAU-INA-001

Lots of classic inaequidens aromas and flavors. Cream cheese, lactic aromas, chalk and pine on the nose. Watermelon rind, pickle juice, marshmallow cream, sweet cornbread with butter, salted cured ham, and green banana. Really solid and flavorful.

49.2% abv

Now this one is a banger. BBQ chips, mesquite, and cellophane on the nose. These are flavors that I could drink all day. Cream, pop rocks, rock candy, perfect black pepper heat. After getting more air, the flavors open up to toffee, rolo (the candy), caramel, and salt water taffy. Also more herbal flavors, mint and bay leaf. Earthy tones as well. Really aromatic. This expression was my favorite of the Creador lline-up. Approachable, drinkable, and complex. AP Mezcal? I say it is for a doctoral defense!

48.3% abv

Shoe leather, faint smoke, tree bark on the nose. Vanilla, spiced apple, bee’s wax, light salinity, burnt marshmallow, slightly bitter on the backend. Sharp heat up front and milder on the backend. Pretty decent stuff, and my notes seem to dovetail with others’ notes as well.

Did not catch the batch number. Used to buy this ensemble when mezcal selections were slimmer a few years back. Still solid and flavorful. Lots of buttery flavors, good heat, dryness from the mexicano, a little bitterness from the espadin, and some floral and woody notes from the barril. Holds up well even though it is mass produced and widely distributed.

Batch E16-TTOBE-19 51.5% abv 546 liter batch May 2019 52% Tepeztate, 35% Tobalá, 13% Espadin

Picked up this bottle at Total Wine a couple years back and have steadily drank down this bottle. I noticed that no one else on MR has reviewed this batch. Nose has a lot tepeztate notes – green, medicinal, and herbal, the palate has more pronounced tobalá flavors – floral, herbal and sweet fruit – ends just a bit harsh though this bottle has gotten plenty of air is down the last couple of copitas. That excess oxygen has made the flavors a little unbalanced and flabby. Still, when I first cracked this bottle, it had plenty of kick and was very solid. I really like tep/tobalá ensembles, and Emgidio’s straight tobalá is one of my favorite mezcals. I will try and seek out another ensemble of his soon.

48.3% abv

Compared to the espadin capon, this expression is much more interesting and tasty. The nose has butter, apple, candlvwax, rich light smoke from a hardwood, and tobacco leaf. The nose was really enjoyable and captivating. The flavors are well-integrated and balanced. A bit tangy with sweet and nutty flavors. Some more of that buttery quality, baked cookies, and preserved lemon. I know that term smooth gets tossed around with spirits a bit too much, but this was smooth in the sense of the first sip to last taste did not have any sharp or harsh notes, just layers of flavor and enjoyment. Big thumbs up. Interesting variation in others’ tasting notes, but some commonalities as well.

48.4% abv

Classic espadin aromas. Light smoke, citrus, and a mellow lactic vibe with burnt sugar. Subdued flavors, black pepper, underripe pineapple, slight sourness and astringency, faint smoke and jellybellys.

A decent espadin, but not over or underwhelming. Don’t get the influence of clay that much and not as much sweetness as other reviewers mentioned.

Batch MA2301 Bottle 54/168 49.5% ABV

This brand has been making a splash here in Southern California, getting some buzz with its high-quality, clay distilled mezcals. I have sampled the full lineup at a tasting at El Comal in Lake Elsinore and everything was really great. I picked up this bottle at El Cerrito liquor in Corona, CA.

New carpet, newly opened tennis balls, candy corn, wax, and denture cream on the nose – pretty crazy stuff.

Flavors are really powerful and delicious: honey breakfast cereal, light smoke, chewing gum, freshly baked sweet bread, roasted Anaheim chiles, toasted coffee, and toasted spices on the comal. There is an undertone of bitterness in addition to all of the sweet flavors. Really complex and inviting. Each sip reveals some other layer to this agave spirit. Ranks as one of the top mexicanos that I have sampled. I highly recommend this expression.

Series 6, October 2020, 400 liter batch, 48.1% abv

Picked up a bottle at El Cerrito Liquor earlier this year. Lots of minty hard candy on the nose and warm apple sauce. Mouthfeel is a bit thin, and the heat hits on the backend on the roof of the mouth. Flavors have some minerality, stewed apple, and wet wood. A perfectly fine sipper but not as complex or balanced as I like but enjoyable. Would buy a copita but not a full bottle next time.

March 10, 2021 47.5% abv Aged in glass for 15 months

I have tried just about all of these Aguerrido releases and really enjoyed them. None has been disappointing and all really shine. Part of what has brought me around about cupreata in general and Guerrero mezcales in particular.

The nose on this one reminded me of fresh cut bamboo and custard or creme brûlée. The flavors had burnt sugar, artificial sweetener, cinnamon syrup, ginger. There are some earthy and vegatal notes as well with a hint of cilantro and mild black pepper heat. Not the chocolate or green onion flavors that I occasionally get with cupreatas, but solid nonetheless. Good value if you can find a bottle under a $100.

Batch ARQTP 07-21 Bottle: 185/282 ABV 54.6%

Wow, what a hot mezcal. Lots of black pepper heat, hits up front and lingers. Nose has some funk and woody notes. On the front end, I get underripe fruit and anise, then some tartness and some toffee caramel. On the backend, dark roasted coffee, anchovy, and popcorn. The nose and flavor has some notes that remind of a fermenting batch of roasted agave in the tina, with the smell of the fermentation and the wet sabino wood (though Tio Pedro uses pine) and also the smell and flavor of bagaso. This one does have some interesting funk to it after getting some air. Looking at other reviews of the same batch, there are some commonalities with those reviews. I think the heat though takes away some of the flavor and makes it just slightly unbalanced. I do agree with others on the complexity of this expression.

Lot 100, 46% abv., no bottle info

Picked up a 375 ml bottle at Louie’s Liquor in Azusa, CA. Creamsicle and white peach on the nose, lots of sweetness. Strong heat upfront, flavors come on the backend, red hots, a bit of creaminess, and stewed apples. Lots of karwinskii flavors, some of those fall fruits shining through and hints of baked yams or sweet potatoes. There may be something to Jonny’s tobacco and hay notes as well.

Finally getting around to reviewing this bottle, which I picked up over a year ago from K&L Wines. Lots of green banana on the nose and the palate on this release. Mild spice, minerality, and herbal notes as well. ,A little bit of vanilla and custard on the backend. I taste a bit more of the bicuixe than I did when I first cracked this bottle open, which had more of the tepextate up front. It seems to lack a little heat, but that could be because the bottle has been open for a while. it is also nicely balanced and well-made, which you expect from the Ramos’s. Not getting the cherries that other reviewers mentioned, but there could be more earthy stuff going on (roasted root veggies – carrots).

Batch 0122VFR ABV: 50.2% Nose: Candle wax, pine tar, and vinyl. Flavors of oatmeal, sweet tubers (yam, sweet potato), incense, vegetal and herbal notes, faint sweetness, soapstone, drying mouthfeel, subdued black pepper heat but that heat lingers nicely. I agree with Zack that the flavors linger too but these were not as sharp for me; they needed time to open up. There is a fruit note that I can’t place which may be close to plantain that he mentions (almost savory). Like Rakhal, I have sampled the sierra negra and liked that one as well. These feel pretty close but I agree with him that the sierra negra may be slightly more complex. This arroqueño is worth tasting by itself or in a paired tasting.

Sampled at Russell’s Tavern in Seattle. Batch #PMJB260121EJ, this one was very different from the Cuish Jabalí that I tried. This one was subdued but lots of floral and mineral undertones. It was the end of the night so my palate may have been a little blown out, but still a high quality mezcal. Will have to revisit.

Sampled at Russell’s Tavern in Fremont in Seattle (shout out to Chuey Agave for the bar recommendation). This expression was really great, lots of anise and complex sweetness. I did not take great tasting notes at the time, but this one really stood out. Balance of sweetness, heat, and lingering flavors made this sample a highlight of the evening. Try and track down a bottle if you are lucky enough to find one.