ARMLT-03 (tasted in 2021)
Very big Real Minero fan typically. Cool idea in concept, but to me an overly peanut/nutty flavor takes over the entire palate and becomes the primary taste, with hints of agave, straw, and a touch of fruit in the backdrop. I’ll be honest in that I don’t really taste the usual notes that I’d expect in either a largo or a tobala.
It would be 3.5 stars, but at this price point there are so many spectacular bottles.

RMP-01 (tasted in 2017)
I wish I had bought two of these, such a beautiful bottle. The liquid is thick, oily, sticky, with texture like the beads of fat when making a stew. The mouth feel is more extreme in that way than any other Pechuga I’ve tried. Somehow has the delicate flavors of pepper/clove mixed with a touch of fruity sweetness, mixed with the meaty savoriness of the chicken. In a blind taste test of 6 quality pechugas (lalo’s, this, el jolgorio, tosba, etc..) this was the crowd favorite by far.

Later batches I’ve had have also been consistently excellent and balanced, I’d say that first lot was my favorite though. The one piece of advice I have to those buying, this is one that is best to open up for a few months.

RMB-02 (notes from 2016)
Typically I don’t like bold style flavors, but this is a decent balance. Spicy, earthy, a touch of sweetness, excellent bottle. It only got better overtime bringing out chocolate notes and salinity – reminded me of pig blood in the best way possible.
4.5 stars

RMB-04 (notes from 2018)
Very different bottle, a note that while the other bottle I owned, this I just tasted once. On the acidic side, completely out of whack by comparison. You do get the karwinskii notes (dry lavender, jasmine, etc…), but it feels schemized between that and acid.
3.5 stars

As something to use in mixed drinks this is 3 stars (there are better things at this price point for mixed drinks, but this is so widely available that you can’t go wrong with it in that context). Obviously as a sipper, this would be much less, but that isn’t what it is meant for. Smoky, slight citrus, slight leather and than a smoke bomb. Great to pair with grapefruit in something like a paloma.

SCM 141 (notes from 2019)
I must have had a very different bottle than is on here. While I generally don’t love arroqueño, the bottle I tried tasted like some balanced smokiness, a touch of fruit, but with a heavy taste of chemical/acetone. It wasn’t pleasant, and wasn’t typical for Del Maguey bottles I’ve tried by any means. Be careful with this batch number I suppose.

LOT: JAB-182 (tasted in 2018)
Has the typical Jabali lawn mower/grass note in taste with a bit of woodiness, green bell pepper, and citrus. Overall a bit thin, but still quite tasty.
One of the better Del Maguey releases but if you want to try a Jabali that’s relatively easy to find in stores and a similar price point, I’d grab a Rey Campero over this any day. Still tasty in its own right though.

Tried at a friend’s next to a normal Chichicapa. This is a really good bottle! I think it is a significant step up from the regular Chichicapa plus a pretty great story. After aging for that long, the smoke has dissipated leaving a delicious sour plum/tamarind flavor that I haven’t tasted in a Chichicapa before. It isn’t a small note either, it becomes slightly more prominent than the vanilla/oak. As a whole, if you like the balance of the regular you may find this version a bit too fruity for your taste, but I love it. At the price point of $180, I would not buy it however.

TOP-151 (review from going through a bottle in 2017)
A relatively well balanced/smooth tobala. While tasty, no flavor in particular sticks out (has the requisite fruitiness, a bit of an oak/lactic taste, a touch of mineral, etc…). It is solid and well balanced, but there is a lot of excellent stuff in the ~110-120 price range. If slightly cheaper it would be a 4 star bottle.

If you are going to buy a Del Maguey release, this is personally my absolute favorite. It is also one of my favorite tobalas in a fruity style. Holds up against many other premium bottles even now. Have had 3 bottles of this over the years, 2 from PUE-161 (the original run without Pizorra) and one from a later batch with the pizorra.

An overwhelming wave of thick, syrupy liquid with notes of mango, papaya, flowers, and rain. When you first open a bottle, there is just a hint of tamarind/citrus/vinegar that goes away the longer keep the bottle longer open, transforming into a floral/lilac note overtime. The version without the pizorra is slightly fruitier, the version with it is ever so slightly drier/thinner in texture – both are exceptional though. What really stands out to me is the finish which lingers on the tongue for many minutes.

PAP-173 (tasted in 2017):
A solid release from Del Maguey, though not my flavor profile personally. Flavor wise, think a cigar bar style decor with lingering sour fruit leather taste following. Overall well balanced, towards the arroqueño, mexicano, sierra negra side – if you like those flavors you’ll love this. You can taste the mineral content from the clay distillation here. Tasty well balanced bottle.

I haven’t tasted this in a few years, but have notes from two batches below (don’t have batch numbers unfortunately). Folks mention that this is a great intro bottle of Mezcal – I think there are better bottles out there as an intro for better prices, but do recognize availability makes this accessible.

2014 – On the smokier bbq side, with just a touch of sweetness and citrus at the tail end. Overall smoke is the primary note. Viscous and sticky in the glass.

2021 – First time trying in many years, this batch is significantly sweeter, lighter, and thinner. Tastier flavor profile as a whole.

Lot 7
Easily my least favorite from the Derrumbes line. Ashy, dry erase marker, acetone smells. The flavor profile basically tastes like that with just a touch of citrus/floral element on the finish. Would be lower if not for that finish. Wouldn’t recommend.

Another solid release from Derrumbes.
Lot 1
Woody, leathery, spicy, vegetables mixed with a touch of lactic cheese flavor you might find in a raicilla. Given the accessible price point easily 4 stars (at a higher price point would be more like 3.5). A bit short on the finish and a bit too hot for me, but tasty nonetheless.

Tried a different lot (don’t have the number written down) with much the same flavor profile, although this one had more sour notes like lemon/grapefruit.

Edition 3
An excellent bottle from Ignacio Parada. Oddly smelled very smoky when I first opened it. After letting it sit for a few months, changed into a beautiful floral bouquet. On the palette, all of the floral notes come through along with a touch of serrano pepper, vanilla, all-spice, and something similar to beachwood. Very complex and long finish, spicier than I would have thought given the initial taste. Delicious.

Did a mini-tasting with a friend comparing two bottles of this one:
Edition #1 (when it was still labelled as Cenizo):
For those who like mineral/minty flavors this is one of the best bottles out there. The nose didn’t smell like much even as I made my way through the bottle (simple mineral smell/smoke smell), but the palette has winter green mint, aloe, wet stone, wheat grass, and a luscious thick texture. It tastes like the feeling of sipping a refreshing iced drink in the summer, but with a finish that lasts forever.
5 Stars

Edition #5
Very different nose on this one, you can smell the mintiness and a touch sweetness (something like prickly pear?). The palette is less minty, more luscious green (think more tep flavors) with a slight sweetness. The finish goes on for just as long.
4.5 stars

2015
Not an arroqueño fan to begin with (got this bottle as a gift from someone). The nose is is perfumed with violet, jasmine, and jam scent. Extremely delicate. I found the palette itself to be smoky, bbq sauce, leather kinds of flavors with just hint of the perfume that you smell on the nose. Soft given the abv. For arroqueño as a category this is a very delicate release, in the realm of agave spirits as a whole this is still in the brash/masculine side of things which isn’t personally my jam.

Didn’t get the lot number, tried at a friend’s. The only El Jolgorio bottle that I have had a bad experience with. There have been other bottles from them I didn’t jive with, but this tasted like a smoke box mixed with melted plastic. If I had bought at full price and not just tasting someone else’s bottle, I would’ve been extremely disappointed.

Star count is an aggregate
Edition 15 by Ignacio Parada
Absolutely delicious (like all Parada bottles I’ve tried). everything that you want in a tep: big, bold green flavors of mowed lawn/rain on road complemented with a sweet tang of a pepper. It got more vegetal as it sat on the shelf and 2 years later was even more delicious.
4.5 stars

Edition 16 (2017) by Pedro Vazquez
Smokier, less vegetal overall. Even after opening up more on the white pepper/ginger side with just a touch of green flavor. Not very well balanced all things considered and the slight acetone flavor, even after sitting on the shelf for a few years, brings it down. Get a different batch if you can.
3.5 stars

Have tried a few different batches of this over the years. My notes say:

RML 05 Don Lorenzo (ended up going through two bottles of this batch, notes are compilation of both):
Extremely boozy upon first opening. After sitting for a month, exceptional. Soft, supple that opens up into a world of dry pine and sage. It tastes the way a steppe/high plain smells just after a rain. The finish goes on for minutes and minutes slowly transitioning into something sweeter. It tastes almost like a juicier, more balanced madrecuishe.
5 stars, one of the best bottles I have had

RML 08 Edgar
Very different batch, this one has a peanut and mossy rock smell upon first opening up the bottle. Taste is on the sweeter end of the spectrum with flavors juicier and wetter. The finish also goes on forever, though flavor wise less balanced.
4 stars

RML 11 Edgar
More oily/richer on the palette – a bit bolder in flavor too. Somewhere between the two aforementioned batches in flavor. Lots of vegetation on the palette mixed with a sweetness. Incredibly balanced, though the finish doesn’t last along as either of the other bottles.
4.5 stars

Had the Astor Wines exclusive batch from 2017:
Kind of like a citrusy espadin on the nose. The texture is on the thin/light side and it really doesn’t last long on the tongue. Flavor wise roasted agave juiciness mixed with a lemon zest spike, very round and thin as a whole. Tasty, but nothing special.