Distilled in 2017. Bottle 55/176. Pulled this bottle off the shelf for the first time in years, and glad I did. Lovey, lingering finish covering all your favorite Tobasiche sweet spots. Not sure I’ve tasted a Tobasiche I like more than this.

Something very sharp and assertive is going on here but I can’t quite put my finger on exactly what makes it so damn delicious. Not that it matters. Just follow your taste buds and you will be rewarded. 2017 distillation date. 23/624. Lot L-08 cus.

April/May 2015; 58.5%; sierrudo/41.6% cuishe; 48% ABV; 1,489 bottles. I bought this bottle at K&L in San Francisco when it was first released. It has been gathering dust ever since … until I dusted it off last night and tasted it for the first time in years. What a pleasant surprise! Really enjoyable and quite complex on the palate with a resonating, long-lasting finish. I wish I could buy another bottle but that opportunity has long since passed.

Wonderful! I wish I could find another bottle. If I do, it will almost certainly be a more recent distillation but I would buy it on the spot. Such a full-flavored, resonating mouth-feel that resonates for minutes. This is a finish that does not disappear for a very long time. BATCH SN08-19. 116/159. 47.9% ABV.

I love a good Pechuga. This is a great Pechuga. I purchased this bottle from Ed Ledger in Berkelely in April 2019. There is always an extensive selection of fine mezcals at Ledger’s Liquors in Berkeley. For some reason, I have not had more than a tiny sip of this during the last two years. Now, revisiting this bottle tonight I realize what I have been missing. So profoundly delicious! A little hot at first, but so rich and satisfying. Really wonderful. 2018; 50%ABV; 105/666.

I love a good Pechuga and this is a really great one. Smooth and harmonious on the palate and in the mind — as in unforgettable. Yes, it’s different — very different — but that’s the point. Open your mind before sipping and it just might blow your mind. So damn delicious! One-half star deduction for the preposterous price point but if you’re in the mood to splurge on a great bottle, don’t hesitate to grab this one. LOT PEC-171 49% ABV.

Bottle 13/86. Batch ARMLB-04 from 2019. 50.78% ABV. When you stop to think that only 65 liters were produced, you must remind yourself how lucky you are to experience such a truly artisanal spirit. I like this bottle very much. Not surprising, as I love Largo and have never been disappointed yet by any bottle of Real Minero.

UPDATE 12/22/21: Went back to this bottle for the first time in a year or more. How can a spirit be so biting and smooth at the same time? Almost astringent at first, then reverberating deliciousness that kicks in and stays there for a long time. I’ll be rationing what’s left in this bottle.

SECOND UPDATE 7/30/23: This will be my final update, as I finished the last two ounces left in my bottle tonight.
So sad that it is gone but truly grateful that I got to enjoy a spirit this very special. Magnificent stuff, and so unlike anything you will ever taste. Magic in a bottle. Bravo Real Minero!

Edgar Angeles has distilled two of my favorite agaves and produced an ensemble that is really quite remarkable. Layer after layer after layer of flavor after flavor after flavor, resulting in a sensory treat that will linger on your palate and in your mind.
Bravo! Batch ARMLT-03 from 2019 harvest. Bottle 247/282 52.48% ABV.

Very smooth for its 51.8% ABV. Richly flavored, robustly lush, and delicious from start to finish. Quite excellent overall. BATCH RM2-01 from 2014.
Bottle 412/709.

Edition 12. Bottle 231/800. 48%ABV. This bottle was a huge disappointment. I expected so much more, not this pleasant but totally unremarkable Pechuga. Nothing on the nose or the palate even remotely suggests that this is a Pechuga. A big miss from a usually reliable source.

MJ08-14 925/1200 This is a great example of how an already good mezcal can get even better over time. Very nice to sip and remarkably smooth for its 52%ABV. I’ve had this bottle for years and deliberately set it aside for a very long time. Yes, good back then. And yes, even better than I expected now. If I could find another bottle, I
would grab it immediately and take it home. This is an excellent expression of Tobala.

Lot PO14 1201/1284 47%ABV Slightly sharp but delicious, with a very pleasant, round and lingering finish. Better than other Pechugas I have tasted at a higher price point.

I’ve been looking for this Del Maguey bottle for years. I finally found it recently on the shelf of my favorite bottle shop. Paradise found? Not quite. I must admit that I was hugely disappointed, at least based on my high expectations and the high Pernod Ricard DM price point. A bit thin on the palate and unremarkable overall. Barril has never been one of my favorite agaves, but when it’s good — like
Lalocura San Martinero — it can be magnificent.

MJ09-14 48%ABV 574/600: Absolutely delicious. Wonderful when I opened this bottle about three years ago. Perhaps even more wonderful now. I can’t comment on other batches but if you see this one, buy it! Satisfaction guaranteed.

BATCH JT03-18, 46.5%ABV, BOTTLE 51/119. My first taste upon opening the bottle, perhaps a year ago, was enjoyable if not remarkable. A few months later, still nice and perhaps a smidge better subjectively, as I was comparing it to another Jabali that night. Tonight, very much more impressive. Really excellent! Perhaps the time in the bottle? Worth recommending to anyone who likes that unique Jabali flavor jumping all around their palate.

MJ20-15 bottle 263/600 at 48.6% ABV. I recently pulled this bottle out of my collection with a fond remembrance of my initial impressions a couple of years ago. Not my favorite Arroqueno but still a splendid experience, notable in my mind for its balanced and harmonious notes. “Just a taste,” I said to myself. Well, just a taste was not enough, so I’m forcing myself to put it back on the shelf to enjoy next time. I am certain that the next time will be just as rewarding as this re-visit. Highly recommended.

It has now been well over a year since one of my trusted spirits merchants urged me to try Lalocura’s offerings. After overcoming my resistance to their aggressive pricing, there has been no turning back. Without exception, these mezcals are extraordinary. That said, choosing my favorite was easy. This San Martinero is truly amazing, from nose to finish. Rich, complex, and deeply satisfying. I actually purchased a second bottle, with no reservations about the expenditure. Magic in a bottle and definitely splurge-worthy. 2017 distillation. 47.1% ABV. Bottle 20/1536.

Brilliant stuff! Resonates on the palate. Rich mouthfeel. Unlike any other mezcal I have ever tasted. 01/168.
Update, May 4, 2019: Two years later, and still magnificent. This bottle is absolutely extraordinary. Wonderful and very long-lasting finish.