Picked up a liter from the little Lalocura bodega in San Bartolo de Coyotopec. July 2023 batch. Lalo has done it again..and again…and again. Another delicious distillation, flavored as so well described by those before me.
Judging by the prior reviews, this was a polarizing mezcal. Sadly for me, my palate was on the downside for it. I just couldn’t get past the funky richness and, to me, off-putting flavor. I set it aside after two tastings and let it sit for a while, hoping my tastes would expand or the bottle change a bit, but no go.This one was not for me.
Steamed pinas instead of roasted, a sugar/honey derived from the steam process used to bolster the fermentation, a single distillation…unique in so many ways.
While it has the volatility I expected from a 60abv Puntas, it delivers it in an elegant fashion; heated but not burning. Flavor notes of cherry, a bit of menthol, some minerality and brown sugar. Long lingering flavor finishes that justify taking your time as you experience a veladora of this one. Really enjoyable.
One of my 3 favorites of 2022. Love the aroma, the botanicals that almost remind me of a gin/mezcal hybrid. Fresh bright flavors with so many layers. Great stuff.
ILD-JAB-001
The nose smells like my boots after a walk in the chaparral; sage and lemon verbena with an undertone of earth and leather. Soft initial flavors of sandalwood, incense, and very perfumey. Those then dissipate as a more assertive lingering finish comes on. Much sterner flavors to my tongue; menthol, woody, and a metallic note that made me think of drinking water out of a metal canteen when I was younger.
Very complex; it’s hard to pin this one down because there’s so much going on…in a good way.
Jai-Bar-001
First tasting:
Sweet and sour, malt vinegar and eucalyptus bark on the nose and sugar/caramel on the tongue.. Then the next wave of flavors came on; the syrupy sauce of a good apple pie, with a bit of salinity. Impressively smooth considering the abv%.Looking forwards to the second tasting to see what else comes to mind.
