Ensamble con cacao Jose Alberto Pablo 48.4% Batch JAENCO524
Aroma: not what I expected up front, alcohol clay mineral mild one line note. I would have guessed it was a single agave espadin. sugar.
Palette: cherry earthy dry tobacco bitter sweet. maple. creme brulee spread on burnt toast. cooked fruit. there is a cacao note obvs present in this, particularly on the finish. I’ve had a few destilados con cacao and this among the better ones. not a fan of these when its novelty however I can appreciate if its about resource use, custom or celebration.

Tepextate & Mexicano 48.8 % Batch JATM0524
Aroma: this aroma is banging. loving it. an autumn sea breeze, minty, herbal, strawberry jam.
Palette: this is cool! summer fruit, hawaiian punch, that flinty mineral note coming through, on over to the cacao topsoil leather wet gravel side.

Tobala Jose Alberto Pablo 48.5% Batch JAT00524
aroma: loving this aroma. up front a minty tropical fruit. blackberry. milk chocolate butterfinger, custard.
palette: tasty first sips. fun. getting floral water lavender papaya. cherrywood. rather different ride with this tobala than others i’ve tried. while for the aroma is pleasant, as I sit with this I’m finding a mineral profile that is overpowering in my mouth. this is a time and place for me, probably a 1 time pour before I move on to others type. Don’t let that sway others from trying, theres really nice aspects to this I’m sure will appeal to others!

Coyote Jose Alberto Pablo 48.8% Batch JAC00524
aroma: cinnamon, spice, soft bark. (arroqueño and sierra negra notes going through my mind) pleasant aromas that draw me in.
palette: soft while flavorful. woody, a fragrant note clove perhaps, citrus lemon kind of a dry finish, grapefruity. hardly any heat.

Maria de La Luz Martinez – Chino 60% y Cuerno 40%
52.20% abv, April 2023 100 liters
sipped in a veladora glass.
aroma: green peppers, green beans, charred broccolini, rubbing alcohol on one nostril, powdered sugar on the other.
wow full body rush of flavor! just fantastic. dry, toasty sliced nuts, maple, bbq’d chili on the grill. straw. cinna-mint. love this! I tend to really dig pulque fermentation batches.

Maria de La Luz Martinez – Chino 40% y Cuerno 40% y 20% Verde
52.90% abv, June 2023, 100 liters. sipped in a veladora glass.

aroma: fresh bright, jalapeño peppers, briny pickles.. but also musty mushrooms, a sweet dry rub bbq scent. could it be jalapeño cornbread?! ripe fruit, very aromatic. love that!
palette: mmm, super. shape shifting. hot green peppers. little meaty & little minty, this gets sweeter and tastier as I sip into it. dash heat on the tail is nice. long finish. touch of sweet char near the end. would happily sip more of this! very tasty!

batch EXC001 bottle 86/120 64.5v

hit with sweet scents of cinnamon and spice. banana, melon, hay. some version of powdered sugar.
more sugar followed by a fresh bright swell of flavor, very saturating and potent. take your time with this delicious yet abundantly flavorful creation. short vegetal note followed by a distinctive toasted sweetness, shifting into brown sugar and a caramelized sugar finish. really tasty. enjoy the sweet sips and take it all in. this is a treat to celebrate. thank you Tepanal and SF Tequila Shop for bringing this to us. not for the faint of heart with the abv. get some of this!

aroma: celery, herbs, bandaid smell, vegetal, eucalyptus, fresh, cocaine, dancing the line of isopropyl alcohol.. just clear of it.
palette: more of a boost, tasty fresh front, good finish good body, dashing of ripe fruit, cherry, early and end, bright mid swell. enjoyable. good legs coating glass.
via veladora

oh wow Ive been sleeping on opening this. Lucky day!! this is phenomenal! its the mixtape batch at 50.2%. I don’t see any other deets. im drinking from a wide clay copita.
Im greeted with a tropical fruity floral presence, ripe papaya. very pleasant and standout for espadín. would love to know more about this, growing conditions or if varietal or if this is standard for them. (cause I’d be grabbing another bottle!)
this is flavor for days. it goes on, long finish. taste buds are dancing through the night. some reason rock candy comes to mind. love this. def up there in my top favs for espadín batches.

GUA-BAC-001, 260 liters, feb 2024, bottle, 441, 47.7% abv.
I find this very enjoyable and something I would reach for albeit a bit unfamilar profile for me.
aroma: desert minerals dust animal hoof funk. sweet salinity. total orange chocolate as someone else has pointed out.
palette: spices, coco, overripe black cherry. root beer?. so cool this is agave angustifolia. I am liking this.

SAL- SOT-001, 400 liters, march 2023, 44.1% abv. bottle 29.
on the nose, it is reminiscent of some candied gummys of jabali. sweet roasted candied caramelized green plant (LOL).
bright yet dry. total spearmint sweetgrass. finish reminds me from tasting high grade baking chocolates, raw cocoa notes of the bright citrus floral range. this is cool.

aromatic, straight sweet grass blended with mint, almost like fake it was so present. didnt like the finish. I wasnt a fan of this profile. it seems well made but not for me however I do like other sotols. I suggest people to give it a try however if they see it.

Batch HMC1-22 Bottle 1257 (BP) Basilio Pacheco, 47.2%.

nose: warm roast, pine, subtle
palette: finish is nice, round, warm and full front, leading to a bright light floral finish. nothing stood out for me on this one but it certainly wasnt bad. maybe the mole beforehand mellowed it out. XD

HMBL-23 bottle 544. 46.8%, Las Margaritas, Tlacolula, Petronilo Altamirano,

aroma: citrus, orange, astringent medicinal, grassy
palette: floral, herbs, papaya light fruit, citrus pith, lavender, bright.
tasty but surprised of this tobala character unique profile for the agave from my tasting experience.

Have had few bottles of this (and under other labels). It’s sort of a goto I gift people (dinner parties) if they dabble with mezcal but are not too familiar. to me this is round profile, warm, full, coffeeish, leather, its probably knowing the fermentation method but I think hide and soil. I get sweet hay like chocolate butterscotch notes. dare i say mild but something about it is balanced and resonates at a volume that is not too loud. approachable but a bit funky and different. solid and aways down to enjoy!

Batch AR2100 Bottle 120 / 132. 50% ABV

Aroma: spice of cinnamon or clove. shaved bark. musty.
Palette: earthy, light spice, woody, getting the clay minerals rounding this out. this one helped me to hone in on arroqueño single ag. species , (an agave that can take decades to mature). pretty special stuff.

A pour while out in London (Madera Treehouse) regret not getting better photos and info! (blurry) so forgive my short review.. Solid and preferable over the other labels bottling’s Ive had. Aromatic, full body. I did think this label has some text discrepancies on it but i’ve been know to be wrong so I kept my mouth shut other than to enjoy the delicious creation 🙂

A pour while out in London (Madera Treehouse) regret not getting better photos and info! (blurry) so forgive my lackluster review other than wowza this was tasty. It was full on aroma and mouth explosion. Have had the 5S before but this one really took me for a ride. If you come across it, indulge.

April 2023, 100 liters, 50.90% abv
sipped in a veladora glass. first impressions are that this has reservations, an agave introvert.
aroma: calm, moldy mushrooms. unripe berries whilst they are green, citrus. enjoying the aroma more as the liquid line drops. drifting into olive oil territory.
palette: floral up front, cedar note, olives, cooked collard greens. I’m imagining dried out agave strands where you get a gentle toasty flavor before a sweet droplet finds the light and hits your tongue.
finish: short burst with light fade of citrus, mineral floral with a musty undertone.
general notes: good. lacks some punch to me. at this moment on the verge of bitter or chemical. however overall pleasant. surprised its 50 abv. I look forward to tasting it again.

March 2023, 100 liter, 48.90% abv. sample.
sipped in a veladora glass. Oh my, first nose this is delightful. teleported to SLP (or rather what I imagine based on the various salmaiana’s destilado de agave from there!!)
aroma: fresh cut greens, candied peppers, hint of cinnamon or maple. cooked fruit, banana, date and cantaloupe. I could hang on this aroma just talking and talking before realizing I haven’t yet taken a sip 😀
palette: that went a different direction than I was expecting! more of the woody spice world. minerals, anise, cant quite pinpoint..cooked artichoke? rosemary?? regardless its delightful!
finish: sweet finish, pithy grapefruit, mint.
general notes: a very pleasant heat on this, in the way I want to have it there. Like its pushing the flavors forward letting you know they’re knocking on the door. dare I say Im getting some jabali vibes on this. or how about I say delicious a. salmiana ssp crassispina ‘Verde’ 🙂 !!