Batch AMA-04 — Rich on the palate. Clove, funky garlic, clay, minerality, sweet cocoa and cream. A hint of cream cheese frosting. Lovely and interesting.

Fascinating, delicious, a good blend of savory and sweet flavors. This arroqueno really reaches deep to cement itself as a sublimely unique Arroqueno expression, and I can’t help but love every second of it.

Batch D5002-4M. — Sweet, crisp, acidic and spritely. There’s a great combination of earth, soil, clay, crisp fruits and that iconic Tep note. A bit ashy on the back palate, great pepper character keeps things well balanced.

Overall, I really love this. Sweet, but not too sweet. Fruity, but not too fruity. Savory and zesty – but again not too much. The smoke is just right, and this is an Ensamble to remember.

Powerful savory palate – cream, cheese, clay, a bit of ash and some musty sweetness. Lots of pepper, bit more orange peel. Fuuuuuuuunky.

This is all over the place – in a good way. Powerful, musty, funky, savory, smoky. Lovely.

LID-ESP-001 — Medium mouthfeel. Fruity, sweet, a bit of earth and a faint wisp of smoke. Sweet, lots of lemon, honey, pepper, a touch of ash.

I like this, but it’s not my favorite Espadin. It seems to have less presence as the tasting goes on, growing a bit weaker and understated. Still good, but there are many Espadin I’d place over it.

SLR-123 — Sweet on the palate, a bit misunderstood from the nose. Lovely slate note, a touch of vanilla, citrus zest, faint chemical note and a bit of bold pepper.

This is pretty nice. It’s not stealing any shows, but it’s competently made.

Creamy on the palate, buttery texture that leans into slate, bell pepper, jalapeño and a load of creamy frosting.

I love this. Really great expression of a wild agave, and delivers a wild profile.

Rich on the palate, plenty of cream, cotton candy, vanilla bean, light pepper and wood smoke. Sweet, fruity, raspberry notes. Reminds me of Nuestra Soledad Lachigui on steroids in the best way.

Lovely, complex, fruity and fun and different with tons of complexity to boot.

Lot A-04-C-20 — Rests heavy on the palate, complex with plenty going on. Slate, bell pepper, rainwater and bright fruit like apples, pears, kiwi. Creamy on the back palate, light on smoke, a bit of cedar.

Delightful. Aquilino, you produced some elegant batches.

Clean, fresh. Cucumber water, hibiscus, pepper, fresh pepper and onion, zesty lime and a bright pop of sweetness. Lovely. Faint ash on the back palate. This is lovely, so diverse, all over the place. It reminds me of some of my favorite Tep’s.

4th Edition, 2018 Harvest, Ignacio

Eye opening, and thankfully far too difficult to find more of lest I buy…many. Affording them is another problem. Overall, the complexity here is a treat, it’s succulent. The combination of salinity, fresh fruits and that pop of bright vegetal notes is a profile I can never say no to.

It’s hard not to gush over a bottling with this much complexity, so I won’t try. This is the sextuple IPA or the big Cali cab of destilado in that this bottling delivers, with everything dialed up to 11. Wild diversity and complexity here.

Special batch for Madre

Wow – the celery salt note here is super fun and really intrigues my palate. The combination of vegetal notes, salinity and soil works really well here.

Wild from first sniff to final sip, this expression is so completely unique and also incredible enticing. So much fun to drink…it’s hard to stop.

Sweet, moderate mouthfeel. Creamy and lush. Tons of fruit here, a dab of cinnamon and some salinity / minerality. Super fascinating profile here and it reminds me of holiday spice in so many ways. Strawberry and blackberry ice cream, sorbet, cream, some cinnamon.

Incredibly unique, I’ve had nothing like it. This reminds me of a super savory, lactic gose with all sorts of stone and smoke character. Incredible.

Rich and buttery on the palate. Sweet cream, lemon bar, pepper, rising bread. Soil and minerality, a hint of salinity. Rich and bright. Light jalapeño note on the back palate. Crisp.

Exceptional agave here, the ensemble pairs two rockstar profiles together in a bottle I could drink all day.

Rich on the palate, a hint of roasty notes, some cocoa and a bit of toasted agave. Plenty going on.

this is mega unique, unexpected and packed with smells and flavors at every turn. Wild.

Moderate mouthfeel, a lovely combo of blueberry, vanilla bean, orange and some varnish.

The nose on this bottling may be the most effervescent thing I’ve ever smelled. It immediately, pungently and delightfully saturated the room I was tasting in. It’s wild. Super sweet and dessert on the nose, growing more closed and ashy by the finish. So unique for a Cuixe.

A faint pinprick of heat, before a wild bouquet unwraps. Lavender, honey, faint lemon zest leads while soft pepper, some orange peel, nutmeg and a dash of confectioners sugar follow up. Faintly smoky, a touch of light umami keep things interesting. Lovely minerality, with a hint of celery on the back palate.

Lovely and complex, this batch has so much going on. My first brush with Tomas and it won’t be my last.

Sweet initially with plenty of honey, berry and a touch of vanilla before the savory returns. Rich braised beef, some blue cheese, a hint of garlic and faint salinity.

Excellent combination of notes here continuing to demonstrate what a lovely pair these two magueys can be.