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Maguey Melate Barril – Antonio Martinez

May 14, 2020

4.25 for me.

N: citrusy to me; grilled peach and slight kiwi. If there’s smoke, it’s very faint.
P: oily and spicy, although it took a while to place the latter expression. Not as much clay funk as Lalocura Tobala, but this expression comes secondary. Minimal detectable smoke.
F: dry and quick with a little residual heat; modest burn in a good way. Well rounded.
S: first Barril ever. Fun combination of citrus and heat, which makes for an enjoyable contrast. With a solid, subtle impression by the clay, this Barril has a lot to offer.

8/1-went back and tried later.

Nose and taste is now full on fruity pebbles. Roasted peanuts on the finish. Very cool!

Real Minero Largo, Espadin, Coyota, Becuela, Tobala

Apr 5, 2020

A real 5 star for me–very complex. I taste primarily savory notes and spice, but the nose is a little more on the fruit/floral end. Not something like the Reina Sanchez Tequiliana fruity/floral, but it’s there. Up there with Neta, Almamezcalera SLP, and the Espadin/Largo/Barril/Arroqueno ensemble by RM for best I’ve ever had.

Rezpiral Tequilana – Reina Sanchez

Jan 24, 2020

Series 4, 200 liters.

5 star nose—up there for me with Tosba Dua Warash, maguey melate’s barril, and Lalocura Tobala off the top of my head. Fruit bomb: pineapple, all types of melon, brine, and little bit of slate and chalk for good measure. Airy, fruity palate. Hot finish. Never been a big fan of tequila, oddly, and was worried this might be a dud given the agave. But I should have know in Reina’s hands, this was going to crush it. And it did.

Rey Campero Chato

Oct 17, 2019

Bottle 235. I have this at 4.25; it’s quite an interesting agave and an enjoyable sipping mezcal. Baking powder, flour and bitter chocolate on the nose remind me of the holidays with brownies and chocolate chip cookies in the oven. You can find a little burn on the lip of the glass, but why would you be nosing around there? Palate pops with still more balanced chocolate notes; not too thick, not too thin. I prefer my mezcals on the thicker side, and that would have complimented the flavors here a little better perhaps. Nice, nice finish that goes on for a good bit. Buy it if you’re in Chicago!

Mezcalero No. 22

Oct 17, 2019

4.75 for me. A tremendous bicuishe mezcal. The smell is like a fresh fruit off the tree or at the farmer’s market, and minerality plays perfectly to my palate–easily one of the top 5 “tastiest” mezcals (and two others are Mezcalero 16 and Special Bottling 2). Don Valente es el hombre.

Vago Mexicano – Aquilino

Oct 17, 2019

Unexpectedly got to try this at Mexico in a Bottle D.C. Didn’t get the bottle details, but I know it was the famous 90/10. And it was fantastic. Even well into the second tasting hour of the event, this stood out for its earthy sweetness, which was unique as far as I’ve experienced. I think I even asked for a second pour. Now if only this was still on the shelf somewhere. 4.75.

Tosba Warash

Oct 17, 2019

Lot 23 Bottle 100-something. Very, very good sipper. Like other reviewers, I’m catching the mango on the nose and some nerds/apple funk that reminds me a lot of Lalocura’s Tobala. No heat here either. Palate is pleasant, but not super thick like some other mezcals (which is actually a bit of a negative for my personal taste). Great finish–just a little bit of roasted agave and smoke with minimal burn.

Mezonte Tepe

Oct 4, 2019

Lot 2 from 2018. 80 liters produced.

Wow. Buttery, brown sugar nose with some tropic fruit notes in the deep background. Whole lot else going on I can’t place just yet. More fruited on the palate but also some green and earth in there. Lingering crisp mineralogy on the finish, as others have said. Very complex—I feel like I’ll be finding different things each time I have a pour. An exceptional spirit.

Lot 3: This is a Masparillo that manages to equal its Cenizo predecessor. More fruity-lemony, no trace of alcohol burn. The “crispiness” is still there too, which I wonder if is something that’s controlled more on the process-side instead of the agave. I’ve only seen this for sale at Mixing Glass. In fact, I don’t know that Mezonte has even highlighted it on IG. World class.

El Jolgorio Jabali

Oct 4, 2019

Edition 3 from 2018, bottle 134. This is everything folks say below it is. Super floral on the nose, with accents of pepper and spice. I want this in a cologne. Unbelievably smooth on the pallet, with spearmint and wintergreen coming through for me. Stone fruit and roasted agave play complimentary roles like Pippen and Rodman. Finish is memorably restrained after the symphony that proceeded it. Top 3 bottle, worth every bit of trouble to get, and one I’ll savor for what I hope is a long time.

5 Sentidos Blanco

Aug 15, 2019

That I enjoyed this less than the Sierra Negra and the Jabali/Tobala is no slight to this spirit; it’s very good, but not quite at their level to my taste. I get spring rain and floral notes on the nose, with a savory, roasted agave palate, and a smooth, moderately smoky residue. Really cool journey through the sip. Overall, a really good mezcal made with a fairly rare agave (and a massive one, if you’ve looked at their website, at that).

1/24/20: bumping this up .5 stars, as it’s really come alive after a couple months in the bottle. Everything above has become more present, like it was just growing in the bottle after opened. Originally, to be honest, I was reaching for it often just to finish it—not that it wasn’t good, but it felt regular. And now it’s ascended into an occasion spirit. Very well done.

El Jolgorio Tobaziche

Aug 12, 2019

Edition 1, 2014 harvest (clear bottle)

N: hay, weird peanut butter whiff (not in a bad way, just unexpected), nail polish fading to soft pine, very faint melon perhaps with chocolate banana accents
P: mossy pine, verdant, slight green pepper, smooth, saturated back end
F: pinecone crackle and detectable, pleasant heat
S: really enjoyable and my first el jolgorio offering. Won’t be my last. 8.87/10

Lalocura Tobala

Aug 12, 2019

Lot L-07T, bottle 284/1738

N: apple, sour funk, lime, light peach
T: dry, sharp front and very smooth end, slight green pepper/jalapeño, herbaceous, faint smoke. After 20 minutes in the glass, candied mint. Then still later, random taste of BBQ chicken deep into the glass.
F: cracked pepper for days, minimal burn. Very pleasant.
S: 9.39/10. One of my favorites and a great clay pot expression. Worth the cost.

5 Sentidos Sierra Negra

Aug 9, 2019

N: fresh tennis balls is accurate here, to my nose; cheese and barnyard funk, along with some background citrusy notes–maybe papaya?; smell of sea breeze as it opens up a bit
P: smooth, viscous, and heavy, like motor oil; pleasant, slight bubblegum quality after resting in the taster for 20 minutes or so; peppery and vegetal
F: tingling and sharp; earthy
O: love how this mezcal evolves from nose to tail, as it were (an apt description, perhaps, given the barnyard notes). I go to it on any occasion for an incredible mezcal experience. 9.25/10.

SN02
14/192

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