Aromas of banana pudding, slightly sour cherries, sour apple, light cream, and fresh coconut. Delicate mouthfeel. Tasting notes of anise, dried figs, black olives, cooked green beans, and a bit of peppermint. This one really grows and changes in the glass. More air helps this develop. Great spirit.

Aromas of cocao, cola nuts, toffee, sandlewood, and toasted sesame oil. The palate is very smoky. It has notes of a freshly oiled baseball glove, mesquite, oak, and dry maple glaze. The mouthfeel is delicate and silky. This is nice, even when tasting against other batches that he’s produced. No batch number from what I can tell.

Lot DS001-A2. Very clean on the nose. Aromas of chalky minerals, slate, and sea salt. The palate has notes of ripe fruit like red apples, plantains, green olives, and papaya. Theres also a strong peach flavor on this. This has some heat but is a tight compact experience. Long finish.

Lot IJ.04.22.TB. Aromas of ginger root, spicy jalapeño, vanilla extract, and rose pedals. The palate is soft with notes of strawberry cream, raisins, and some light dry herbs. Really enjoyable and delicate.

Lot VDP-225. Probably better in cocktails than as a sipper. Extremely meh. Light notes of tropical fruits. Not as much smoke as I remember in the Vida clasico.

01PAPUSA-21. Absolutely beautiful mezcal that I’ve been trying to wrap my head around for some time. Aromas of toasted oats, caramel, honey, and molasses. cloves, fresh ginger, and almonds. The palate is so delicate and soft. Notes of figs, dried hay, tobacco, cinnamon, hazelnut, coca leaves, brown sugar, butterscotch. This is really a fantastically distilled mezcal.

Aromas of oysters, sea salt, chalky minerals, and pencil eraser. The palate is soft and sweet. Tasting notes of Juicy Fruit gum, peach cobbler, baklava, and a bit of salt. Considering this was aged for 7 years, it’s still quite present with a little heat. I’m really enjoying this mezcal a lot.

Rakhal nailed it with his “cake frosting” note. I get that all over the nose and a little on the palate as well. Additional aromas of passionfruit, banana, honeydew melon, and a bit of light cream. The palate has a slight lactic undertone with additional notes of raw cherries, strawberry marmalade, and some hints of a masculine musk or aftershave. I love mezcal from Michoacán and this is a great one.

A bit malty on the nose with aromas of baker’s yeast, rolled oats, nutmeg, and cinnamon. The palate has more of the baked-goods type flavors with additional notes of honey, almonds, and orange marmalade. This is a nice, mellow ensamble, showing the Tobaziche strongly with hints of clay pot undertones.

Batch from 2022. Aromas of fresh spices: pepper, allspice, clover, and bit of nutmeg. More aromas of roasted chicken and sweet cream. The palate has that same slight lactic note, merging with chicken fat, fried soy, smoked salmon, raisins, and raw pumpkin. Tasting this Pechuga side by side with the Marteño from this producer/brand, I slightly favor the Marteño. That said, this is a classic Minas pechuga.

Batch from 2022. Fresh bright aromas of rose petals, violet, carnation, coconut, guava, and zapote. The palate is thick with notes of vanilla bean, maple, honey, cooked butter, hempseed, a touch of fresh mint, and smoked brisket. I’m not familiar with this producer in Minas, but this Marteno is really nice, with touches of clay but nothing overpowering the agave.

Very present nose. Aromas of orange, pineapple, lilac, fresh flowers, and almonds. The palate has notes of pumpkin seeds, fresh amber malt, carrot cake with cream cheese icing, and plum pudding.

Aromas of blueberry pie, orange creamsicle, strawberry twislers, and fresh custard. The palate has soft notes of powdered sugar, fresh spring wildflowers, blueberry cobbler, and crème brûlée. This is great.

Aromas of candy apples, Marciano cherries, strawberries, lime and bright citrus zest. The palate is very very slate heavy, notes of rusty books, old dry dates, tobacco, and new cardboard. The nose on this doesn’t smell like Sola de Vega but the the palate has that classic Sola slate taste. Perhaps that’s due to the refrescadera vs clay pot distillation. Not sure. Either way, this one is really enjoyable.

I may have palenque-bias, or in this case taberna-bias, on this one as I had the opportunity to visit the Bañuelos family in Zacatecas last year. The nose on this is heavy with those classic tequila -esque aromas of blue webber agave, raw minerals, sea salt, and some light flowers. The palate is thick with notes of dry grass, wet clay, rubber, and black pepper. Lot 12. Bottle 44/1350.

Aromas of mint, bubblegum, coconut, jasmine, kiwi, and guava. The palate is thick and syrupy, with notes of strawberry jam, ripe plum, peach, and chalky minerals. This is reminiscent of some of the bubblegum type notes that I typically get from Don Valente’s mezcal, yet still distinctly different. Really enjoyable. The more I have from Semei, the more I like them.

Herbaceous aromas of parsley, sweet mint, snow peas, raw potato, and green olives. There are also slight aromas of bitter dark chocolate and sea salt. The palate is rich in minerals with notes of slate, creosote, and lead. Additional notes of rubber, red Nyquil, mesquite, and a bit of wormwood. This was a batch pick for The Austin Shaker, which is always great to see. When I first opened this, it was a little harsh and sharp. It has mellowed over the last few months and I’m enjoying it.

Incredible mezcal! Sweet aromas of cherry candies, dried cranberry, and some light pepper. The palate is full and rich with notes of pickled jalapenos, raw sugar cane, almond flavoring, hot wax, and smoking candle wick. There’s a sweet softness to this that is difficult to put my finger on. This changes slightly every time I taste it, seemingly for the better each time.

This is an interesting product idea, a blend from Oaxaca and Zacatecas. Why did they do this? No idea. Is it worth a taste? Of course. Aromas of apple, smoke, Cohiba cigars, and a touch of vanilla. The palate is very light with some caramel sweetness, vanilla, toffee, and cream soda. This is very approachable and easy sipping. Lot 030921-1

Clean nose with notes of white sugar, honey, slate, and cold granite. The palate has notes of watermelon, dark mango, overripe cantaloupe, and a touch of milk chocolate. Very nice and soft. Syrupy mouthfeel. Lot 1. Bottle 630/800