Went to the La Medida bar in Oaxaca and they only had two La Medida mezcals available, which is weird. I would have though they’d have a lot more. I tried Lot TE-1401. It was super light and thin but drinkable. Heavily perfumed with notes of orange and peanut oil.

Thinking about the storied acting career of George Clooney, I recall many great characters played by him: From Dr Doug Ross in ER, to movies like Out of Sight, Ocean’s Eleven, Oh Brother Where Art Thou, and Michael Clayton. Out of all of these characters, there’s one adjective that I could use to describe Clooney’s characters: smooth. The dude is smooth. He’s the smoothest of the smooth and that might unfortunately be the best way to describe his mezcal. As far as tasting is concerned, smooth is easy to drink and void of any outlandish and/or out-of-place character notes. Like George, Casamigos is smooth. It’s got some faint hints of cucumber and pollen on the palate, but it’s mostly just water and smoke. For those who only drink 40% tequila, perhaps this is a nice place to start in the world of mezcal. It’s easy to gulp and puts up very little fight on the way down. For those who have had and enjoy mezcal, this is an abomination. I’m talking like a 1997 Batman and Robin abomination (starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and of course Clooney as Bruce Wayne). Like Batman pretending to be a regular person (Bruce Wayne), this industrial tequila is pretending to be mezcal. It’s mostly just water and smoke. Not recommended.

Bold aromas of toasted coconut. This one is a bit funkier than the Reposado. Chocolate and violet on the nose. Tasting notes of Sprite, 7Up, flan, and strawberry cream with a touch of tres leches. This has a lot more character than the reposado. I don’t drink much aged mezcal or tequila, but I’m really enjoying this.

Big round flavors and aromas of toasted coconut, fresh vanilla, and chocolate. Very light and a bit buttery in mouthfeel. This was OK but I definitely prefer their Anejo over this Repo. In general, I don’t drink a ton of aged mezcal or tequila. I drink Joven 99% of the time, but I find that if I am trying a Repo alongside an Anejo, I typically prefer the Anejo.

Lot SCM 143. Clean aromas with a bit of nail polish on the nose. The palate is light and rounded. A bit salty and lots of anise. For the price, I’m not blown away by this in any way. It’s good, but super expensive. Perhaps if this was a $100 bottle I’d be more excited about it, but unfortunately it’s like $215 retail. I’d give this a higher rating if it were about half the price.

Aromas of orange and sour apples. Moderately viscous, light, and fruity. Notes of orange peel, peaches, sweet cream, caramel, and raisins. This reminds of the Goetze candy that I used to eat as a kid. Slight salinity as well.

Lot 01CDBS15 from 2015. Edition Cenizo – 15. Bottle 55/2000 from producer Nor Ramirez Varela. 48% ABV. Aromas of milk chocolate and fresh cherries. Super rounded in the mouth. No harshness whatsoever with lots of notes of sugar cane. Very agave forward and sugary. This had been sitting in the closet for almost a year after initially opening it. Perhaps the additional aging helped it a bit, but it is absolutely incredible.

Slightly candied nose. Very sugary aromas of sweet potatoes mixing with lavender and black pepper. It’s mellow and soft on the palate. It almost tastes dusty, like old books. Tasting notes of cedar and key lime pie. High acidity. Complex and robust. Rich. It coats the mouth and lingers with a pleasant aftertaste of dark tropical fruit.

Lot 7. ABV of 49.56%. Bottle 591. This mezcal is no slouch. Semi-floral nose with additional aromas of pumpkin spice, apple pie, and cinnamon. It tastes similar to a cross between baked apples and ripe watermelon. Short finish, but I really enjoyed this mezcal. There’s not much mezcal from Michoacan available outside of Mexico and this one is a very good experience.

Lote 1. ABV of 45.77%. Bottle #55. This one smells like new basketballs, like fresh rubber, but in a really nice, non-synthetic way. It’s interesting that something so organic and natural could taste and smell like this. It’s really something special. At first sip, I thought that I liked the La Luna Cupreata more, but the complexity of this mezcal grew on me. It’s slightly sweet with some nice hints of pepper and all spice. I’ve never seen a Cupreata/Tequilana ensamble before and was stoked to find this. Highly recommended!

Lot CHI-114. For me, this is another Del Maguey that tastes identical to the painting on the label of the bottle. I’ve noticed this with a few of them so it must be somewhat intentional. The aromas of this mezcal are not strong. There’s actually nothing overpowering on the nose just some light hints of fresh flowers. The palate, however, is pungent and packed with flavor. I get some notes similar to Texas bbq. That includes notes of mesquite, Worcester sauce, mustard seeds, and sesame seeds. It’s really phenomenal and has a deep smokey nature that coats the mouth.

Lot DS010-E from December 2015. This is a little hot up front and a little hot on the finish, but it’s strong in flavor and aroma as well. Notes of leather, licorice, and minerals. It’s dry and finite on the finish with a bit of metallic and citric notes. This is a solid mezcal at a solid price.

Batch SN01. Aromas of wild apples, slight vinegar, and dried plantains. Very soft and rounded. Sweet on the front of the tongue and warm as if from natural fire on the very back of the palate. This is really enjoyable. Reminds me of wet river stones, very viscous and thick. Warm but not hot. This is slightly dusty and rustic. Incredible.

Lot 013916. Bottle 047/910. 47% ABV. Not my jam, but might work for others. There are some light orange peel aromas, but overall it was hot, chemically, and harsh. It tasted like it was created in lab. Perhaps this was just an odd batch or maybe it’s better meant for cocktails.

Lot 004. Super classy bottle and design. They did a really good job keeping the bottle rustic yet sophisticated. Now…inside the bottle… There were faint aromas of apples and mesquite smoke. The palate had light notes of banana, oak, allspice, and plum. It’s a bit light, but overall enjoyable. It’s a great value at this price, especially as a vegan “pechuga.”

I tasted two different batches of this at once:

Edition 8 from 2017. Bottle 387/1500 from Regulo Martinez Ramirez. Full of cascading floral aromas. Breezy with violet and lavender scents. taste of cherry and hard candy. It’s a bit hot and in your face, but rich and beautiful at the same time. A touch of spearmint on this. 5 stars.

Edition 7 from 2015. Bottle 422/700 by Ignacio Parada. Full rich aromas of coffee and green vegetables. Much lighter and softer than the other batch I tasted. This is easier to drink, but with less payout in complexity and character. 4 stars.

Lot 001. Lots of grassy aromas. It’s green with its aromas but not in a peppery way like other Tepextate I’ve had. this is super light on the palate and slightly viscous. It’s not a typical Tepextate as it doesn’t have a ton of green pepper flavor, which I find in many others. It’s still good though. The Ensamble and Tepextate are my two favorite of the Mala Idea lineup.

Wow! Brilliant. This is insanely good. Aromas of sweet mango, strawberries, and cherry. Lots of red fruit on the nose. The palate is rich, creamy, and full of fruity velvet. This reminds me a lot of the first Mezcalosfera to make it to the US, which was Madrecuixe and Tobala. It doesn’t have the same blueberry flavor as the first, but it has a lot of the other characteristics, particularly mouthfeel. The velvet texture of this is otherworldly. It glides gracefully all over the palate. This is an instant favorite. It’s big fruit flavor is in your face, but subtle and sublime at once. Very perplexing, thought-provoking, and complex.

Batch XBP01-17 made by Basilio Pacheco with agave Espadin, Sanmartin, and Mexicano. Bottle 22/2160. Floral aromas with hints of sugar and sweet tarts. The flavor has a bit of nail polish in it, but it’s mostly creamsicle and orange cream. This is a really nice expression and the many agave seem well mixed in flavor as nothing overpowers anything else. Very well balanced and floral in nature.

Light aromas of fresh flowers, marshmallow, and peanuts. The palate is full of ground nuts, tree roots, fall in New England, and pumpkin seeds. Also has hints of mixed herbs, mint, and cumin. This is really enjoyable. I don’t see it often it often, which is unfortunate.