Nose: Pungent, powerful, piquant and perfumed. Pumice, plaster, paint thinner. Enough jokes, this stuff packs a punch and not in the bad, overt ethanol fumes way. Rather, it’s some sort of half medicinal, half construction site funk with underlying citrus oils and lemongrass.
Palate: Yowza, even for a puntas this stuff is potent. I get tons of citrus oil and lemongrass. Again very piquant and mouthwatering. Nicely weighted yet silky mouthfeel.
Finish: Very long. Starting with dusty museum vibes and leading into the freshest of citrus peels and just the faintest sweetness.
Overall: I can see this being divisive but for me it falls on the right side of funky pungency. One I reach for only when in the right mood, but I’m very glad to have a bottle.

Lot 1 bottle 160/228
Nose: Tons of lemongrass, limoncello, citronella, and dill pickles?
Palate: Citrusy and herbaceous if a bit thin and acidic.
Finish: Long and pleasantly herbaceous without becoming bitter nor medicinal.
Overall: Very pleasant and vivacious but lacking complexity and weight. One for lovers of herbaceous liqeuors. Glad I waited until close out pricing to buy.

Batch SN08-19. Though I have had several and they’re consistent.
Nose: Dewey, verdant gardens. Rosebuds, lilac bushes preparing to blossom. Juniper, fir, and cedar trees. Orange blossoms. A cloying undercurrent of honey, marmalade and bee pollen.
Palate: Perfectly balanced bright green grass and herbs with underripe pineapples and green apples, backed by tilled soil and essence of tack room. Nice and dry, but not astringent.
Finish: Long, cleansing, dry. Sr. Martinez’s signature barnyard notes come out in the finish with an emphasis on saddle leather and crushed rocks.
Overall: I tend to prefer sweet and fruity but this bottle has some magic in it with so many different flavors and aromas working in harmony. It’s dryness ultimately makes it a great pairing with food and endlessly drinkable.

Batch CAP03-21, 47.9%, 220L
Nose: Vivid, bright and complex. Prominent ripe agave. Floral, vegetal, fruity. Incredibly fresh. Notes of trampled hay and barnyard. The smoldering remains of last nights campfire.
Palate: Slightly sweet, perfectly balanced again. Perfectly ripe, perfectly roasted agave flavor at the forefront. Orchard fruits, peaches, plums, cactus fruit, guava. A hint of fresh farmers cheese or clotted cream.
Finish: Long. Thoughtful. Invigorating.
Overall: Perfect mezcal from the best of the best. Signature notes of bucolic, luscious barnyard and a caress of clay pot character. Senor Martinez does it again. I would probably still take the Sierra Negra as my “desert island” bottle but this Espadin Capon might be a better showcase of what I consider to be the unique, quintessential flavor of agave.

Nose: Lemon curd, crème brûlée, pineapple cheesecake with glacé cherries, graham cracker crust and all.
Palate: Tingly, zesty, scintillating, citrusy, lemon peel, lemongrass.
Finish: Refreshing, balanced, citrusy, mouthwatering.
Overall: Knockout stuff, I ordered several extra bottles. A hair short of 5 stars due to the somewhat short finish and lack of complexity. One of the best in the two years I’ve been with the club.

Nose: Very bright and sharp, full of chalk, limestone and minerals. Very green, like waking up in a tropical rainforest. Invigorating and promising.
Palate: Hmmmm. I can’t tell if it’s still fresh and mineral or rubbery and medicinal. There’s menthol, not mint, menthol.
Finish: Long, lemongrass and menthol. Can’t tell if I’m licking a piece of chalk or powdered latex glove. Is that wet cement, a whiff of burning plastic?
Overall: I don’t know man, at least it’s not boring. My first impressions were pure disgust but with significant time I’ve come around a bit. I don’t think it’s flawed, just wild and not a good fit for my palate. 3 stars for challenging me, but not one I’d pour for a friend without a disclaimer.

Background: My club box came with the batch that was 46% and it was okay but noticeably thin. I then learned there was another batch at 50.5% I ordered one to ship with the next installment. This review is of the 50.5% version which I enjoyed more.
Nose: Buttercream frosting, strawberries with balsamic. Roasted agave.
Palate: Rich, syrupy. More on spice and overripe tropical fruit than strawberries and cream.
Finish: Medium long, frosting comes back a bit. Hints of balsamic and lemongrass coming out.
Overall: A fantastic, fruity and slightly savory Jabali that is well balanced if not as punchy as my favorite expressions of this agave. The 46% would have gotten 3.5 at best, closer 3.25.

Nose: Dry, unctuous, compelling, not a hint of ethanol. There’s apples in there for sure but beneath complex layers of dusty earth, leather and herbs.
Palate: Silky, rich mouthfeel. Dehydrated Macintosh apples. A touch of medicinal herbs and earth. Some cheesy funk?
Finish: Long. A touch oily. More on the medicine and cheese, with a touch of dried apple.
Overall: Unique and complex with great impact and mouth feel. Not sure if I’m a huge fan of the flavor profile. Perhaps it’s just a balance issue. Just shy of 4 stars but I’m rounding up due to complexity and potency.

Nose: Typical pechuga mulling spice notes, anise, dried orange peel, cinnamon, clove.
Palate: Thinner than I expect from a pechuga. Carries on with the spices but there’s a new note of bright fresh apples.
Finish: Short and a bit thin. Cloves.
Overall: Typical winter spices that I expect from a spice forward pechuga but with more brightness and fruit on the palate and less oil. I’m not a huge fan of pechuga and those that I like are the ones with savory, fatty notes. This is far from that.

Nose: dry and distinctly peanutey.
Palate: acidic, thin. No nuts, wonder if they’ll show up in the finish.
Finish: very acidic and mouthwatering. Lemongrass. Still no peanut.
Overall: weird. Super peanutey nose but no sign of nuts in the flavor or finish. Very acidic. Not great.

Nose: Sweet and syrupy. Lots of ripe cooked agave aromas and a bit of anise.
Palate: Just like the nose, mouthfeel of a very light simple syrup. Simple but full flavor of sweet agave. Less spice and more minerality than the nose.
Finish: Medium short. Anise and spice come back.
Overall: Solid. Not exciting but clearly well made.

Soft and complex if not well integrated. Nose is delicate and bright with honeydew, and green bell pepper. Palate belies the nose with more savory flavors of green plantain, earth, mineral fighting sweet berry and tropical fruit. The sweet and fruit loses out until the finish which is hard to pin down… delicate soft fruit flavors flash for a moment then get overwhelmed by minerality and astringency. I get a lot of different flavors but I don’t think they mesh particularly well and the finish is not super tasty 80/100

One of my favorite budget mezcals. Pleasantly sweet and agave forward with a bit of smoke. Nose and palate match, finish is medium length and sweet. Nice weight in the mouth and very smooth. Very simple but tasty 78/100

Phenomenal fruit-forward Karwinskii! Nose is perfume-y, strong but not pungent with rich agave underlying a nice balance of ripe plum and apple more vegetal cucumber and artichoke hearts, a bit of fresh cream. Palate is sublime, mouth-watering with almost no hint of alcohol besides a nice minerality on the back of the tongue. Fruit and vegtable flavors go back and forth with an overall nice sweetness. Finish is exceptionally long and contrasts the nose and palate with lemongrass and fresh herbs but not too dry. 91/100

Some 5 Sentidos bottles need to be open for a while before they come into their own and this is one of them. But boy does it open up! It’s almost like the Jabali and Tobala flavors are dancing, sometimes one or the other taking lead, sometimes working perfectly in sync. One of the more complex and evolving spirits I’ve tasted. Nose has citrus, overripe fruit, a hint of sweat cream and cow, all carried by that signature Jabali nail polish, though much less pronounced than Alberto Martinez’s straight Jabali. Palate is sweet cream at the very beginning, quickly followed by the two dancers. One of them is bright fruit, stone, tropical and citrus, the other is earth, agave, hay, chili pepper, to a lesser extent herbs and green veggies. Mouthfeel is rich and smooth, but could be heavier and is a bit astringent. Finish is much less sweet than the palate, very long, lemongrass, herbs, minerality, clay pot, sharp and refreshing. Tough to place on the scale of Alberto Martinez offerings, I think it’s more complex than the straight Jabali or straight Tobala but not as complex as the Sierra Negra-Tobala and not quite as tasty as that or the straight Jabali. It certainly stands out as unique from any of those and is worth adding to the collection. 90/100

Intense citrus and tropical fruit throughout. Has that nail polish note common to Jabali but totally inoffensive here. Perfectly balanced sweetness, acidity, fruit and agave flavor. Palate continues he citrus and tropical fruit plus habanero. A bit of burn but overall silky mouthfeel. Long finish of citrus rind and agave. 95/100

Fresh farmers cheese and berries on the nose balanced with earthy agave and clay. Solid clay pot backbone supports grilled fruit and agave. Very complex and constantly changing. At times the fruit is lost for smokey vegetal flavors and funky, almost like egg salad, salty and spicey flavors, then on the next sip the juicy fruit is back. The mouthfeel is like I’ve only experienced with A. Americana, I guess we’re calling it ‘suave’, whatever, it’s awesome. Finish lasts forever, not to acidic, not too drying, sweetness finally comes out and it’s like I just finished a satisfying Oaxacan meal. Improves after resting in the glass 10+ minutes, burnt my nose at first which is unusual for these Mezcalero releases which are often glass rested for considerable time. 86/100 after the fumes burn off

It has that intoxicating aroma you get from sniffing a marker, mixed with rose and nopales. Heady and exciting! Palate has loads of fruit alongside agave and jalapeño. Tingly and mouthwatering, just a little thin feeling. Fantastic finish, sweet agave really comes out along with subtle floral flavors and another dose of stone fruit and tropical fruit. Finish keeps on going, nectarines. I was very lucky to find a dusty bottle recently and am excited to explore it. 91/100

Showcases agave flavor but lacks complexity. Bright Agave and alcohol on the nose. Agave on the palate with some cucumber and lemon rind. Sweetness doesn’t come til the finish, but finish is strong on alcohol and some agave remains. A tinge of sulfate like bologna lingers throughout. Good for the price. 75/100

Smells like a barnyard in all the right ways. Trampled hay, healthy cows, green fields, cheesy, funky. Very robust, very little alcohol. Palate is triple crime brie, earth, roasted veggies and agave. Mouthfeel is good, finish is weighty, earthy and very long. I like this better than his Tobala and about the same as his Sierra Negra, we’ll see if one comes out on top by the end of the bottles. 93/100