This one is really soft and delicate and subtle. I would’ve liked to have tried this one before it aged in glass for seven years. It might be a little too soft for me, I do like it though. To me it tastes like apples and flowers with a peppery salty finish. Vanilla Bean, Fuji apple, apple jolly ranchers, jasmine flower, dryer sheets, tarragon, white pepper, and table salt. Tasty.

When I first opened my bottle of this, it was super lactic! Like Roquefort cheese, which I happen to love. I also got some intense over-ripe fruit flavors like a giant pile of tropical fruits rotting in the sun. After being opened for a few hours the lactic flavors almost completely went away, and the fruits really smoothed out a lot. Now I’m getting some really strong new tire rubber and freshly opened can of tennis balls flavors. I’m also getting flavors that remind me of key limes, juicy fruit gum, and white TicTac’s. A bit of a cake frosting finish with just a touch of that Roquefort cheese. I have a feeling this is one of those Mezcals that’s going to keep changing, if I don’t finish the bottle first.

I’m pretty sure this is only the second Sierra del Tigre Raicilla I have ever had, the other being the legendary La Venenosa. I was expecting intense, lactic, and strange flavors, but what I got was something so clean and so pure that it blew my mind! I read an article about how primitive his still is, the article said that if there was any distillation before the Spanish came, this is how it would have been done. Check out the article on Mezcalistas, it’s very interesting. This guy has incredible skills, it’s so clean and beautiful, and even at a low ABV after one distillation it’s got a ton of flavor! The flavor is pure Agave. It’s like I’m tasting the essence of the agave and nothing else it’s just so clean! I love this!

01PAPUSA-21
This has such a beautiful, soft mouth feel! The flavors are so well integrated! It almost tastes like it’s been rested in glass for a long time. Every Mezcal I’ve ever had from Benigno has the same qualities. The flavors to me are like dried thyme, barbecued pineapple, and warm baking spices like allspice and cloves and cinnamon. This is fantastic! Everything this guy distills is beautiful.

Wow. If I tasted this blind, I would probably think it was a Lechuguilla from Chihuahua. So interesting and complex! When I first opened it, I got some chemical flavors, but they went away after it aired out a bit. Chocolate malt balls, Nag Champa incense, Yoohoo, cinnamon, sweaty horse, and a flavor that tastes like a flannel shirt smells. I won’t be surprised if some people don’t like this one, but I really dig it.

I love this one. Floral and fruity and delicious. This is like a warm sunny spring day by the water with my friends. A big thick caramel swirl in vanilla ice cream, jasmine flowers, ripe pears, and fresh spearmint. So good.

While Ensamble #1 was sweet, Ensamble #2 is earthy. It starts out sour like lemon juice, but quickly morphs into some really cool earthy flavors like decaying leaves, fresh forest soil, dried porcini mushrooms, and ancho chilies. Then as I swallow and let my breathe out of my nose I get a big hit of allspice and cinnamon. Oh yeah, I like this one.

I love Raicilla so much. This has a classic Raicilla flavor, but it’s a little bit more concentrated and sweet. It’s complex and decadent. Brown sugar, maple sugar candy, celery bitters, and Spearmint Altoids. There’s something dusty and sweet on the finish that I like a lot.

This one has gotten better and better since I opened it. It was the surprise winner of a big blind Cenizo tasting that I did at my house. Luxardo brandied cherries, thyme, animal crackers, candied orange peel, amaro, and a dusty old cedar chest. Tasty!

WOW!!!!!! I’m completely blown away by this!!! I’ve had a lot of Salmianas in my day, and I never thought I would get a better one than the San Luis Potosí from Almamezcalera but this is better. By far the best Mezcal I’ve had from Guanajuato and the best Mezcal from Agave Salmiana that I’ve ever had. Unfortunately, when you buy Salmiana Mezcals locally they’re normally a very low proof which really hurts the flavor in my opinion. At 60% this absolutely punches you in the face with flavor!! It’s like Salmiana turned up to 11!!! Huge notes of fresh peppermint. Also an herbal sweetness that reminds me of the candy coated fennel seeds you get from Indian restaurants. It’s SPICY!! Jalapeños, bell peppers, and Apple jolly Ranchers. I want 100 liters of this!!!

Lot 3. This is beautiful. The Palmilla’s I’ve had from Sonora have all been great, and this is no exception. Soft and delicate. Earthy and fruity and herbal. This reminds me of lying on granite rocks by a cool stream in an oasis in the Sonoran desert eating a mango. There’s also something like smoked meat that I really dig. For me this Palmilla is more of a feeling than any particular flavor notes. I’m a fan.

A-06-M-19.
Earthy, vegetal, spicy, and sweet. Garden soil, olive brine, pineapple soda, allspice, nutmeg, and cream cheese frosting.

This is a great batch from a true master of his craft. Don Beto makes great Mezcal and this is an especially good batch from him. It’s clean and flawless. Orange creamsicle, mango, spearmint Altoids, cherimoya, wet river rocks. It’s really well balanced and integrated so that no one flavor takes over the other. It gives me the overall impression of being tropical and minty. Like a cool breeze on a tropical island. Fantastic.

Lot:AS007 (could be 001 but since the other 2 reviewers saw 007 I’ll defer to them, my bottle isn’t super clear)
Antonio Sonido is One of my all-time favorite Mezcaleros. I’ve had Mezcal from him through the brands Sanzekan, Aguerrido, Mal Bien, and Cuentacuentos. I’ve never had a bottle that wasn’t fantastic. All of his Mezcals have a chocolatey-ness that I absolutely love! This batch is probably the most chocolatey I’ve ever had. It’s decadent! I absolutely love this one! I wish I had 100 L of this batch!! Chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and a side of chocolate milk. Fig Newtons, medjool dates, and Allspice (Jonny nailed it). After I bought this and tasted it I tried to get more but it was sold out. If you see this buy it!

Lote: 2, May 2022, 250 Liters.
I love Raicilla. When I traveled through Jalisco I tasted many different expressions, but this one is so clean and so beautiful I just love it. Somehow Raicilla tastes so much different than all the Agave expressions from every other state in Mexico. Blind tasting Raicilla, you know it right off the bat. This is sour like lemon soda, lime soda. So much freshness like Spearmint, and the slightest bit of cheese. This is a beautiful expression. It’s not my favorite Raicilla of all time but it’s definitely top 10. I need to get back to Jalisco.

It’s crazy how the same species of Agave will taste completely different in a different area! This tastes nothing like a Oaxacan Tepextate. If I had blind tasted this I would’ve guessed it was an Alto from Michoacán. New car smell, can of new tennis balls, sandalwood, dryer sheets, cedar chest. I like this a lot.

Update: I’m getting a ton of black licorice off of this now. Good call Jonny!

This is a beautiful expression. Peppermint Altoids, vanilla ice cream, tarragon, thyme, lavender, and sugar snap peas. The mouth feel is thin but the flavors are right on! I dig it.

Batch: PEN001
Like the other expression from this brand, this tastes completely different than any Mezcal I’ve had out of San Luis Potosi. Both of the expressions from this brand make me think of some thing that would come from the brand Lamata. Totally unique stuff! This is dusty and earthy and leathery. With flavors of dust storm, leather saddle, wet decomposing leaves on a forest floor, black licorice. Unfortunately I only had a 1 ounce sample and I was still tasting new stuff when it ran out. Might just have to pick up a bottle of this one. One thing I know for sure, I need to get out to San Luis Potosi.

Batch: LAF001
Tastes totally different than most Salmiana Agaves that I’ve had before. Tons of baking spices. Especially allspice. Also clove, nutmeg, macadamia nut, and sandalwood. This is great. I’m so glad to know that there’s more variation in San Luis Potosi than I thought.

Lot MAS-C 05-2019
I thought I was buying a replacement bottle for the Lamata Masparillo that I had almost finished. It was confusing because this had the same lot number but I didn’t notice that it was a different Mezcalero. This is very good though, my third bottle of Mezcal made with this agave and I like them all a lot! This one starts off sweet in the mouth and then gets really dry and green and salty with a slight bitterness. It’s got a thin mouth feel too but even though all these characteristics aren’t usually my favorite, it all works with this one. Vanilla frosting, celery, lettuce, spearmint, table salt, green tea, and a finish that tastes like applesauce. Damn good.