Call me old fashioned, but sometimes just put your “boring” espadín in a clay still, say a prayer, then send me a bottle of what comes out. This is good stuff! Aroma is light perfume with strawberry cream, green mangoes and stone fruit–plumb or peach, I can’t decide. The taste is different than the aroma: mild, sweet and a little funky. The finish is good and lingers a while intensifying the mild sweetness. ARC033 jul 2020

Decent Tepeztate, although a little “light”. Aroma is light and fruity with some sea salt. Taste also is light with some earthy undertones. The finish a quick but pleasant. This one is ok. MGG12T sept 2020

Another really good one. Aroma had some green veggies, soil and cantaloupe. Taste has some “dark” flavors, a bit puckery with earth and leather. The finish is ok with some heat and some mild bitterness. It lingers a while. ACRO052 abril 2021

Good stuff! Aroma is a bit perfumey with some unripe pear, red grapes and light mint. Taste is a little hot with some good pepper, light ash and slight river rock. Finish a good with a fairly oily mouthfeel and some lingering sweetness. MGG13C September 2020

45% lote MOO13EB at Baja Betty’s agave club in San Diego. Overall good. Aroma is citrusy and sweet with a hint of white pepper. Taste is sweet with some pepper and light spice. Sips like a spicy tequila more than a mezcal. Finish is short but pleasant.

Don Fede’s daughter and granddaughter are remarkable for carrying on his tradition. ¡Que chingonas! I love his Espadilla/Tobalá. This is good mezcal but I don’t taste any apples! There is some good sweetness added with some heat. Aroma has a slight sour funk to it but overall good. Taste of solid and good with some definite sweetness and medium smoke.
EDIT agosto 2022: I’m calling this the Zack and Rakal BBQ chip challenge—1. Get a bag of quality BBQ chips. I am using Miss Vickie’s Smokehouse BBQ Chips. 2. Think about the unopened bag of chips and drink some of this. 3. Open chips and catch some aroma, then drink some more. 4. Munch a chip and then well….you know.
At which stage did you get the BBQ chips reflected in the mezcal? Or are you like me and you aren’t up to the Zack and Rakhal level of zen master? But I did have fun.

56.7% batch for me also. The ABV helps the wonderful aromas and taste jump out. This mezcal is not shy. So flavorful and delicious. Adela’s story is also so great. Watch the MM videos if you haven’t yet. Aroma is fruity and floral with slight minerality , almost earthy.
Flavor is aligned with aroma and is quite smooth with a hint of spice on the finish. Sensational.

Separate review for Adela‘s Tepextate in the 100 ml:
Aroma is very green and sweet. Taste has some good earth with pepper highlights but there is some sticky sweetness that I don’t like so much. This is a good Tep but not my favorite. 3 stars.

This is a bold mezcal with wonderful flavors. The aroma is very good with strawberry creamsicle and other fruit with a slight whiff of acetone. Quite viscous and fun in the mouth. Great flavor! Bold and let’s you know it’s there. The best part for me is the finish. It’s incredibly long lasting… A few minutes can go by and I’m still getting some of the great flavor! Bring out the bull!

Tasted with Asis in his hotel. It is wonderful! It’s earthy, sweet and smooth with a little methanol. The finish is very long and delicious.

One of my favorites from the club so far! Really good from aroma to finish. Different than espadín or other varieties. While I’m not a jabalí expert this mezcal is great! Great flavors and unique taste. Aroma is floral with mild sweetness. Taste is super fun and complex. Finish makes you want more.
The Maguey Melate club has done a great job with this box. I love that they find some rare stuff and I get to try it.
Batch Ger-Jab-001. Bottle 163.

Aroma is good with roasted agave, juicy fruit gum and hints of pine. Taste is really nice with with some mint and lots of pepper. A bit spicy in taste. While thin in the mouth the finish is long and mostly good with more sweet mint and some earthy/garden undertones. The finish might have a light burnt rubber thing happening, but I don’t notice it every sip.
I didn’t like Lechugilla when I had it before but this is good to really good status. Fun and light with good flavors. Nice job MM for December!

Batch two, 2020. Turkey, bananas, orange, guava, pineapple, apples and prunes. Pretty incredible aromas and flavors!
Tasted with Asis at his hotel bar. He explained the meaning of “Dixeebe”: “Energy and love from the heart”. In the context of being with the people that matter in your life. Dixeebe! And happy Thanksgiving!

2015, batch TZ 007 47%. After sampling Los Javis’ Espadín and reposado this was an improvement in the evening! The aroma was ok, a bit floral with river rock. The taste was good with light garden qualities of cucumber and cilantro. Overall a good tepextate. Thanks Guillermo (from Los Javis) for the taste (or two…or three).

Ok to good for what it is. It’s a low ABV mezcal that is overly saturated with wood to be appreciated as a mezcal. The flavors remind me of Zignum-which isn’t bad, just not traditional mezcal in my book.
Tasted at Baja Bettys (San Diego) November 2021.

Solid and good budget espadín. Nice bottle too. Ok to sip but with low ABV and rather low complexity I would use this for delicious drinks.
Tasted at Baja Bettys Agave club (San Diego) November 2021. Guillermo from Los Javis was wonderfully educating the club about the company and how to properly sip this espadín.

REALLY good espadín! Tasted July 2021 with Asís at his hotel bar. Edición 2. Well balanced, full flavor, strong with a bit of sweetness.
This was a long mezcal-fueled day and I am sure I had some palate fatigue. But when available in the USA I will buy this.

This is really good! All this flavor from Espadín is incredible. So strong and yet subtle in flavor. Heat is about as perfect as it gets. I was excited when Rakhal mentioned chocolate milk but maybe not with this batch. Chalky minerality, floral and fruity on entry then finishes with excellent heat and earthy sweetness. Long finish. Extra half star for value!

Update Jan 2023–I tasted this alongside Tío Rey’s ensamble. Here are some thoughts…
Hotter than the ensamble, with tropical fruit and peach for the aroma. Taste has good heat with some citrus tang. Not as complex as the ensamble. The finish is good, with some slight bitterness but with building heat down the throat.

February 2020, 588 liters, 49.6%.

Wow. What a vibrant aroma and flavor! Definitely getting the raisins and nuts that this is distilled with. There is a hint of the plantains on the aroma and finish. In the mouth there is good, sweet heat with very light smoke. There is hint of gasoline as well, but so light it doesn’t detract much. Very oily and sweet—is that a hint of the creole chicken? This is full of cinnamon and spice. Almost an after dinner drink, not an all night sipper. Keep this as a fun taster for friends to guess the many aromas and flavors.
Batch JOS PEC 001

Not my favorite. If this is indicative of Sotol then I might shy away. Aroma is good with floral and fruity goodness. There is even some dusty minerality that is quite pleasant. Taste is where this one falls off. Entry is ok with some good taste and heat but the back of my mouth almost puckers up with some acrid bitterness. That same bitterness continues on the finish. The finish does linger and mellows with good heat and roasted peppercorns. I am happy to have tried this Palm Distillate although I don’t prefer it.
Batch April 2021

Good stuff with a lot going on. El Dawg is right about no one maguey overpowering anyone else. This is good, complex mezcal. Just when I think it is more fruity and sweet I get hints of earth and minerals. There is a really long finish with some fun peppermint that develops. 50% abv.
It comes with a 60.9% taster bottle as well. Aroma is a bit better on the higher proof version-stronger with more flavors. Still no alcohol fumes. Nice. The taste is quite a bit bolder and hotter with some alcohol on entry. Still very good! I think I like the higher proof version a more, maybe another half star to the original 3.