Bottle Barn batch. I tried the whole Tr3s Tiempos line in a tasting and this was my favorite expression. It’s very delicious. I didn’t write down any tasting notes at the time but I remember liking it very much.
14-Enero-2018. Lote 1. 24/33. 56% ABV. I bought this bottle years ago at Ericks legendary tasting room in Mexico City. At first glance the idea of an Al Pastor Pechuga seems gimmicky but this bottle is an absolute miracle!! Somehow the entire flavor of a perfect Pastor taco is in this Mezcal, even the corn tortillas!! You have to try this at least once, it’s mind blowing.
Wow this is so unique!!! Very green and herbal. Tarragon, mint, 7up, and fresh squeezed limes. I love this one!! My favorite of their expressions!
Totally different than the single Agave expressions! Big Mango flavor! Also sandalwood, Tang, Spearmint Altoids, and orange creamsicle. Yum.
Sweet concentrated flavors. Brown sugar, oak, dark chocolate, medjool dates, black licorice, and roasted plantains.
Mmmm. I sure do love Michoacán Alto! Taste reminds me of how a new can of tennis balls smells. Also green onion, and celery salt with a spicy cayenne pepper finish.
JMM-ESP-1. Delicious Mezcal. Caramel, nutmeg, allspice, orange peel, raspberry preserves, and vanilla whipped cream. All of his Mezcals that I’ve tried under this label have been sweet and creamy and delicious!
JMM-TOB-1. Soft and luscious mouthfeel. Coconut cream, banana pudding, cherimoya, khanom krok, cinnamon, and vanilla milkshake. Very tasty.
JMM-TEP-1. Sweet, creamy, and delicious! Vanilla cupcake with cream cheese frosting, peaches in syrup, spearmint, fresh jalapeño, rosewater, and carrot juice. This is damn good!
Tepextate is probably my favorite Agave used for making Mezcal. When it’s done right the flavors can be extraordinary. There are a lot of great Tepextate Mezcals in Oaxaca, so when I heard that Maguey Melate was releasing a Oaxacan Tepextate I couldn’t wait to taste it. I was surprised that they picked one from Mezcaleros that had only made 5 batches in their life when you have so many seasoned Mezcaleros from families with generations of experience to choose from, but I assumed they had their reasons. I am really disappointed by this one. It’s unbalanced and is missing the classic Tepextate flavors that I love so much. It’s floral and fruity but also has some chemical flavors and it’s a bit hot. Mint, vanilla frosting, nail polish remover, rubbing alcohol, and dryer sheets. Obviously a lot of people tasted this and liked it so maybe it’s just my personal taste, but this is not at all what I hope for in a Tepextate.
Big sugarcane notes, like an Aguardiente and Mezcal had a baby. Also leather, vanilla extract, rock salt, and chocolate malt balls. A bit hot considering the low ABV. Surprisingly mediocre considering how amazing the Maguey Melate expressions have been for the last couple of years, but still better than average.
JAEN1122. This is my favorite of the four Creador expressions that I have tried. It’s very similar to the Lumbre but the Espadin really completes it. So complex! This is one to sip on and contemplate. It’s got all these great leathery and musty and aromatic flavors but at the very end there’s this beautiful deep sweetness, probably from the Espadin. A beautiful work of art.
JAME1122. Sweet, tropical, and spicy! Vanilla cupcakes, red hots, pineapple, lychee, mango, and carob. Delicious!
JALU1122. This is a cool one. The main flavor I get right off the bat is anise seed, but it’s a complex anise flavor. Like black licorice and fennel seeds and Sambuca all at once. There’s something musty and leathery like an abandoned house full of old leather furniture. Also some rolling tobacco and some sort of concentrated fruit sweetness like charred pineapple syrup. This is killer.
JAEC1122. I liked this one immediately. I was expecting more concentrated sweet and caramelized flavors because of the Capón process, but instead I was surprised with a smoky, earthy, vegetal, woody, and nutty flavor profile. Redwood bark, wet clay, roasted asparagus, campfire, and roasted peanut shells. Interesting, complex, and tasty.
Whoa!! So much tropical fruit!! Juicy Fruit Gum in liquid form. I love Raicilla from Jalisco, this one is a little bit intense on the artificial fruit flavor notes though. I totally dig it, but in small doses. If I were a cocktail maker I would think this one would be good with a little pineapple juice, some soda water, and a squeeze of lime.
Yet another amazing Cupreata from Guerrero! Is there anyone in that state that doesn’t make incredible Mezcal?!?! This is clean and citrusy and piney. Some Orange Creamsicle, cream soda, caramel, Spearmint Altoids, guava, crushed pine needles. Not a single flaw. So delicious.
A Tuxca from Jalisco!!! I was excited to try this, and it’s very tasty. I wish I could say I got the earthy and meaty flavors from the other reviewer’s because I love those flavors, but instead I’m getting a lot of incense flavors. Especially on the finish, it’s like Nag Champa incense on the exhale. Also brown sugar and baking spices, and something that reminds me of canned fruit cocktail. It’s like walking into one of those New Age hippie shops after they had just finished baking an apple pie. Trippy, and I dig it.
Lot: 001-TEP. This is my second expression from Arturo Conde. The Masparillo has become one of my favorites. This Tepemete is very sweet. Not cloying, it’s a deep complex sweetness that I keep coming back for. Cake frosting, date syrup, banana bread, No2 pencil, black licorice, and grape soda. I’m glad I bought a bottle of this.
I like this a lot. It’s really well integrated with a woody, earthy, floral, and slightly smoky flavor profile. No obvious flavor notes jump out at me, it’s more a feeling that I get when I sip this. Old leather, a woodpile out in the rain, a desert campfire still smoldering in the morning, desert flowers blooming at night. This one speaks to me, I want to meet this guy.
