Big orange and blue cheese flavors. At first I wasn’t a fan of how thin the body and the abv felt but now im really enjoying this. As unique as it gets!
Edition 6 – 2014
Like eating milk chocolate in a greenhouse. Mint, light smoke, and rain water too. Really vegetal and clean tasting. Similar to the Pierde Almas Tobala I have but with less anise and funk and more of that jolgorio smooth clarity you find in a lot of their bottlings. Delicious!
Nov 2015. So different. Gun powder, lays potato chips, cement. This is one that id always put in a tasting just to show how diverse the taste in different agaves can be. If you grab or try one Rey Campero bottle, this is the one.
Jan 2018 – 52% espadin 48% coyote
Excellent, focused taste. Fall leaves, roasted peanuts. Hot, delicious and badass.
Sep 2015. Hot. Strong peppers, orange blossum and vinegar flavors come through and while I really enjoyed this bottle, it has the potential to be so much better if it didn’t have the strong alcohol heat from start to finish.
From 2012. Really enjoyed this when I first tried it. Reminded me of absinthe quite a bit with strong anise notes. Too strong really, and these days it’s been relegated to being brought out as a novelty bottle for friends who want to try something distilled with rabbit. Quality spirit, but a little one dimensional and boring compared to other higher end bottles.
Very intense tobala. Like licking an agave dipped in petrol and sprinkled with cinnamon. Really great flavor but the ABV takes away from the enjoyment as you have to search for the flavor through the burn.
Chocolate covered blueberries on the nose with more toasty chocolate, clay and anonymous berries on the palate. It’s good, but the alcohol starts to come in quickly and the bitter bite on the finish makes it a bit harsh. Id say closer to a 3.5 for me.
2015 Don Lorenzo
Cream of mushroom soup, nuts, raisins, roasted smoke and clay with an alcohol “pop” that is so good and unlike any other mezcal I’ve had. Different from a bite at the finish or overall heat, this mezcal hits you with a wave of flavor first then alcohol in perfect harmony. Looking forward to trying Edgar’s as I imagine my bottle from the late Don Lorenzo is the last I’ll come across. Lucky to experience it!
Nose: sugar, green pepper, spearmint, too many herbs to dissect.
Palate: follows through with more green pepper, ginger, mint, hint of dark smoke and medicinal herbs.
Finish: long with more mint and herbs.
Thoughts: this is the 2017 edition 16 batch from Rafael Mendez Cruz. Excellent tepeztate and very different from previous editions but also similar in many ways. While in the past this had more of a green pepper and garden on a hot summer day vibe, this one has a different feel because of the mint and ginger. Ethereal is the word that comes to mind and I feel like I’m walking through a winter forest when I drink this. Excellent mezcal!
Update:
2017 Batch 21 Pedro Vasquez
Another great tep that i would put at 4 stars. Watermelon, smoke, and citronella / deet flavors.
The best mezcal I’ve ever tasted. Older edition clear bottle, notes of citrus and banana on the nose and palate. Looking forward to trying the newer edition black bottle on the way. Very different from the Del maguey arroqueno. Much brighter and just a fantastic bottle. I’d be happy drinking this and nothing else if I could only choose one mezcal. Absolutely beautiful.
Super smooth mezcal that has a sweet floral taste with marshmallows and candy corn. I really liked this one until I saw the price and felt it was a bit overrated, especially with the claim “finest mezcal in bottle”. Its great if you are looking for a one note straightforward sweeter mezcal but no wow factor leaves me a bit disappointed.
Very aggressive espadin from Aquilino. It is hot like all of his Vagos, and has a sweet ash flavor that is definately espadin. There is some green agave notes along with the usual smoke and roasted agave flavor and then a fair bit of alcohol which makes this a bit less refined tasting than the other bottles by Vago. If you want bold flavors and a step up from entry level espadins designed for mixing, you cant go wrong. However, I would argue that you would be better off spending the extra 10 bucks and getting one of del magueys espadins for a smoother and more complex option.
Very strong Madre. If you like this type of agave this bottle is the purest form of it I’ve tasted. Like liquid soil, extremely earthy and strong. The first time I had it I found the flavor overwhelming but I now appreciate what the mescalero was able to achieve with the madrecuixe
Couldn’t put this one down when I first opened it. Has grappa-like qualities with a notes of grape skin, pepper, and wood smoke. Overall it has a unique flavor that I wouldn’t characterize as a typical tepeztate. Regardless its really great stuff and my favorite from the Yuu Baal line.
Not the worst upfront with typical smokey agave notes. Very simple tasting which could work in a cocktail but the finish has a taste of flat tonic water that I can’t get past.
Its all been said already. This is one of the best, with notes of juicy fruit, mint, and smoked meat. It gives you a little bit of everything while tasting balanced from start to finish. Give this to people who have never had mezcal before and watch their reactions!
Vanilla and apple throughout with a decent amount of ash smoke and wood. Very refined and smooth. Great example of a Tobala carrying those typical smoke and agave notes and then coming in with some original fruity flavors. Great stuff!
Hands down my favorite. The nose gives you green olive brine and a caramelized funk that translates to the palate along with hot green peppers and a beautiful heat that never burns. This one changes and opens up as it sits in your glass and will sometimes give you a basement musty-ness that compliments the other notes. This is my desert island mezcal and I always plan to keep at least 2 bottles around.
