Of the two Inaquidens for the last MM delivery, I liked this one more. I am liking the mezcal from Michoacan more and more. This was very balanced and nice to sip.
The aroma is ok with some good earth and fresh mint and thyme.
The taste is a little hot, slight brine and overall good.
The finish is medium in duration but good.

Tasted at Baja Betty’s (San Diego) Agave club for August.
I was pleasantly surprised how much “better” this was than the Joven. So much more good flavors with added Cuishe.
Aroma-good campfire smoke and plenty of fruit–plum, cherries, and is that hibiscus? It’s like a Jamaica drink with smoke.
Taste–fairly thick and definitely oily. Taste has much more flavor than the Joven.
Finish–really good and long with all the good flavors (that IS hibiscus!) from the taste and aroma.
No bottle info. But the rep was one of the coolest cowboys around. He knew his stuff.

Tasted at Baja Betty’s Agave Club (San Diego) for August.
My quick notes are:
Smokey aroma
Thin, with pepper
Back end bitterness
Good heat on the finish
Good for mixing
No bottle info.

Tasted at Baja Betty’s (San Diego) agave club for September. I didn’t get the batch info.
First taste was harsh and medicinal. Bad cherry cough syrup and ashy aftertaste. Once someone said the word “band aid” nobody could taste anything else. Of course I said “but is it band aid in a good or bad way?” Not good.
I let it sit for another 10 minutes and came back to retry. Still not good. On a positive note, the rep for the brand was knowledgeable and cool to talk to.

My favorite of the group of 4. The aroma has some juicy-fruit and lemon-lime taffy that is great.
The taste is not as subtle as the others and proudly announces its presence in your mouth. I like it.
The finish is wonderful and super long with rocky-fire char and light fruity sweetness.

My order of these ensambles: 4, 3, 1, 2

The aroma has some wonderful honeydew melon and river rock. Off to a very good start!
The taste is really good with heat and some peppers.
The finish is my favorite part, long and keeps the light, fruity sweetness going…there is a hint of hay from the farm that I like too.

My order of these ensambles: 4, 3, 1, 2

The aroma is livelier than #1 with good heat and spices, still sweet but earthier.
The taste is not pleasant. There is some strong pucker-causing sweet-tartness.
The finish is ok but the tart pucker is still there.

My order of these ensambles: 4, 3, 1, 2

The aroma is sensational with fruit, over-ripe cantaloupe, earth and purple skittles.
The taste is good and sweet with candy fruit and great warmth in the mouth.
The finish is good and continues the “sweet fruit” party.
This would be an excellent sprit for newcomers.

My order of these ensambles: 4, 3, 1, 2

Tasted at Baja Betty’s (San Diego) Agave club for July. Strong smoke and spice in the aroma, with an undercurrent of lavender and berries.
The taste is better than the regular Espadin but rather light and watery. There is also some bitterness on the back end.
The finish focuses on the bitterness and even moves a bit toward the astringent.
I did not get the batch info. But the brand rep says this will be the last batch of this style.

Mole Pechuga–great idea! Right away the aroma hits you with the chocolate mole. Surprisingly the 46% tastes hotter than the 51%. The finish is the best part–long and creamy with a good amount of heat. This mole pechuga really helps to round out the flavors. It is long and bursting with good aromas/flavors and there’s a whole other layer with the pechuga.

A good budget high proof. Not much aroma, very light smoke. A good explosion of flavor on the taste–a big burst of heat and cane sweetness to start it off. It goes down with plenty of pepper and sweet agave. The finish is fairly quick, and not overly alcoholy for 51%…but does give a nice belly warmth.

This is a really good agave spirit with good heat and a fantastic finish.
The aroma has rock candy, mild salinity, some tropical fruit and green grapes.
The taste is “darker” than the aroma with minerals, soil, some pepper and a hint of clove.
The finish is where this one shines…it’s crazy long with good heat and more good flavors!

This comes with a bonus bottle by Noel. It is also really good but so different than the Pichomel.
Aroma has salt-water taffy and peaches.
The taste is thin but good with river rock, pepper and light vegetal.
The finish is good with medium heat. Also 3.5 stars

Really Good and balanced Cenizo from Durango. The aroma is very light overall. There is some minerality with light sweetness.
The taste is really balanced with a blend of earthiness and sweetness.
The finish is good, with even heat lasting quite a while.
Just overall really good!

I get excited for the high proof stuff and this one is great! The aroma is bright, warm with topical fruit, mango and over sweetened orang juice. A bit hot on the nose and in the mouth.
The taste is outstanding–like extra spicy Christmas peppermint sticks! There is no smoke at all due to the steam cooking. But I am not missing it. There is no mistaking that this is a strong flavored mezcal and not tequila.
The finish is my favorite part. REALLY long! Sweet heat that lingers with just pure agave as you breathe. Wonderful.
While there is a bit of alcohol heat, this one is complex and fun! I am still trying to find “old hot dog water”. My search continues!

Sampled at Baja Betty’s agave club in San Diego. Strong aroma and taste but finish is the best part. Sweet berrry cream on the aroma. Taste is peppery and fun with more slight sweetness and yumminess . Finish is sensational!

Exceptionally balanced and drinkable! The aroma is good, clean with floral, minerality, river rocks, a hint of clay and light citrus.
The taste is solid with more minerals, mild bitterness, almost no smoke nor sweetness and good heat.
The finish is balanced, very long, great! Way to end 2022 Maguey Melate!

Ugghh! If I am being optimistic I could say “an interesting experience”. I don’t think it is the Deer/Guama pechuga that is throwing me off. The sample of the straight Maximiliana is the same for me. Just not fun or good.
In the aroma there is some big “lechuguilla funk”, and something like burnt syrup or molasses. The taste is really funky with some sweetness. The finish is ungood with even more funkadelic funk. Sorry MM, I love that you find cool and unique mezcal but this one is not for me.

Just by Fortunato’s picture on the MM trading card with his big smile, I really wanted to like this one more. Now seeing all the exceptional reviews I feel like a party-pooper. For me this one was ok to good. The aroma is good and dusty with a hint of fruit. Taste is ok. I’m getting the leather and cedar wood and also a hint of chocolate and cinnamon. The finish is good with lots more cedar wood and some good heat.

Aroma is ok with heavy smoke and a hint of berry sweetness. Taste is thick and coats the mouth with a very sweet profile. Heavy smoke and a lot of heat for 40%. Not a sipper. Mix this one.
Tasted at Baja Betty’s in San Diego for the Agave club in January.

One of my favorites from MM so far. The body and finish of this one makes a near perfect balanced mezcal. There’s pepper, a burst of agave with wonderful heat. Initial light floral. Finishes very nice and long. Great balance between earthy and sweet.