Lot S-20-EMB-15, distilled March 2015. 53% Espadín/32% Barril/15% Mexicano. A lot of herbs and pine in the beginning, making it resemble an aquavit or a gin. Then other flavours come to the fore: marzipan, cinnamon, apples. And the round, earthy notes that I associate with the clay distillation. Quite hot, but not burning.
Lot 000216, distilled November 2016. Starts out with anise (cough syrup) and herbs. Then there are a lot of burnt flavours: charred wood, smoke, burnt rubber. Very dry. A bit disjointed.
Lot 15, distilled 2018. Soft, sweet fruit like canned pears coupled with roasted peppers, cinnamon, a slight salinity and something spicy in the background that resembles mild horseradish. A delicious, easy-drinking mezcal.
Lot FSCC-022. This is very round and well-balanced. While there is a whiff of tart apples, the dominant note is a vegetal one. There is also a fatty, animal flavour in the background.
Lot 01/MNGO, distilled May 2018. Very dominant taste of ripe mango. It’s sweet and mellow and very pleasant; a perfect dessert mezcal. However, it’s slightly one-dimensional – I prefer the Mezcalosfera Espadín con Mango y Chile Habanero, where the spice of the habanero balances the sweetness of the mango. Still, this is good!
Lot 08-17, distilled November 2017. A lot of flavours, but very difficult to define. In a blind tasting I noted a strong bitter (but not unpleasant) dark chocolate note, which I attribute to the coffee ingredient. It’s a rather harsh spirit, but it’s very tasty. I like it!
Lot A-36-DV-EL-14, distilled August 2014. This is a very round and mellow and pleasant mezcal. The roasted corn flavours are evident and there is a honey sweetness.
Lot MP02, distilled August 2017. This is full of Christmas flavours: ginger snaps, allspice, chocolate. There is also a clay-like fattiness and a bit of smoke. Delicious!
Lot 04-PC, distilled 2013. This is an extraordinary spirit! It started off a bit harsh and alcoholic in the glass but soon mellowed to reveal a plethora of flavours: cardamom and other Indian spices, citrus, a hint of chocolate. And anise, a lot of anise. It’s fat and sweet and tart and absolutely wonderful!
Lot 5, distilled June 2018. A very complex and well-balanced mezcal. It has notes of burnt wood, cloves and tobacco and there is also a very distinct taste of anise. And all of that is rounded off with the sweetness of the agave and a salty minerality. Close to five stars.
Lot 29, distilled December 2016. An excellent blend of marzipan-like sweetness and mixed dried herbs. A bit like the smell of a coniferous forest after the rain. A very interesting drink!
This one is all about fruit. The dominant taste is of orange marmalade but I also taste peaches, pears and melon. It’s a very pleasant drink, but I think it’s lacking something to offset all the mild fruit flavours.
Lot PUE-161. There is a lot going on in this very complex mezcal. There is no harshness here, just light and rounded flavours, in particular cream and rose water. And sweet fruit like raspberry and pear. And a bit of cheese. The more you drink, the more flavours you detect.
Lot 4, distilled September 2015. This is undoubtedly a good quality mezcal (evidenced by the many positive reviews), but it doesn’t do it for me. I find it rather astringent and dry without much in terms of complexity. Perhaps a less-than-perfect batch?
Sweet and sharp, citrusy and minerally. Milk chocolate, tropical fruits and grass. I like this one a lot, even though it might not have the complexity of the best mezcals.
Lot no. 1, distilled April 2016 by Chito Fernández. I think this is technically an (uncertifiable) mezcal rather than a sotol as it was made entirely from agave (Agave churique). First I found it thin and alcoholic, but it opened up quickly in the glass. It’s quite herbal with an additional strong note of “sweaty horse saddle” (a description given many years ago by a friend to a particular wine – and it is very pertinent here). I also detect some liquorice. A complex drink!
Lot DS002-A, distilled May 2017. It starts out very sweet, in a honey sort of way, and then opens up to vegetal notes. There are also tropical fruit, a whiff of liquorice and some salt. The palate is both hot and light, if that makes any sense. A mezcal that goes in many directions at the same time. A very exciting drink.
Lot 23, distilled 2018. Agave sweetness, marzipan, tropical fruit, rubber, a bit of smoke. This is a complex mezcal with a lot of different tastes coming and going but, at the same time, it’s balanced and round.
Lot 18-JHM-HEN, distilled December 2017. There is a lot going on in this one. It’s vegetal but in a dark way (if that is the correct way to describe the taste). It’s quite smoky and I also find notes of liquorice. But this is offset by dark berries and agave sweetness, creating a balanced and interesting mezcal.
Lot GRU18LUM01, distilled November 2018. Vegetal (herbs) with a distinct taste of roasted agave and a bit of lemon zest. Pleasant and well-balanced, quite sweet.
