Lote 21119. ? or L1119? This deserves a new page with Leo Hernandez as the producer, it’s an entirely different product than before. Minty and bright, with some nice dark sugar notes. Long pleasant mid-palate that starts sweet and ends dry and tannic. This is really delicious and it’s a shame the overall ranking is being dragged down by the former producer.

ARGULLO-10-AMM
Light nose, light on the palate up front with a bit of minerality, a bit of fruit, a bit of flower, but then a long, dry earthy finish.

LOTE FSCC-022. I liked the experience with this bottle. Got that thing when you know what is coming and your expectations get exceeded. I knew apple was going to be a big part of it and it came on like an apple pie and had a long, pleasant fruit/mase/cinnamon/brown sugar finish. My favorite of Beto’s mezcales, far more bite and more complexity and depth than the 40% Espadin.

Emigdio E-19 C-17, October 2017, 50.6%. Remarkable! Big round nose full of cooked agave and with very little smoke, loads of uncooked green coffee and white pepper with a lingering bitter finish.

The bright just-picked green pepper notes are really pronounced in this, and the fruitiness and cooked agave sweetness round it out really well. It shows really well as a mezcal that presents a distinctly category- and region-specific profile. I greatly prefer this to the Derrumbes Salmiana from this mezcalero that comes in at 5% less ABV than the Metiche.

CLM09. The short astringent finish makes it a 2 for a sipper and a 3 for a mixer for me. There’s an elotes note on the nose that’s kind of fun, mapping that corn note to the primary grain in bourbon led me to try it as a Oaxacan Old Fashioned and it turned out fairly well.

LDMEX-17. Delightful, and a great value IMO. Lots of ripe pineapple and earth notes with just a hint of smoke and a complete lack of any resinous flavors from the pit. At 48% those flavors are tight and bright and come across really well. Great as a nipper and great in a cocktail when you don’t want to use the usual suspects that are aimed for a bar’s rail. This one will be in my regular rotation.

17-48847. Rather unpleasant as a sipper. Tastes like burnt pineapple flesh with an assertive ethanol bite that comes on far too strong for 81 proof. As a mixer I can see how the right touch with some sweet and some sour can round this into a solid cocktail.