Very interesting and ‘swamp funky’ Bacanora. One of the more eccentric Maguey Melate offerings.
Aroma is bright with a mix of sprite and mint, with a strong undercurrent of funky overripe fruit.
The taste at entry is all funk, then opens to some leather and overripe vegetables.
The finish is confusing my brain–it’s all over the place with lots of different flavors chiming in. Still very complex.
I have tasted this one a couple times and still cannot decide if I like it. It is good, unique and funky…but maybe not my thing. I guess when the description included “swamp water” as part of the water source it set the tone for my brain. Still fun!

Really clean aroma—citrus fruit maybe orange with a light minerality.
The taste is moderately sweet on entry then fades with some interesting flavors until it becomes a little bitter. Not in a bad way.
The finish is the best part of this one—long, good and evolves thru the different flavors taking a bow.
Gregorio Martinez Garcia. San Baltazar Guelavila, Oax. From 2018, Edition 15. Bottle 921/1000.

Wonderful aroma! Strawberry cream, river rock and mesquite wood.
It has a thick feel and the taste is ok with smoke and heat, not overly sweet.
Finish is ok but does not bring anything back from the wonderful aromas.
All-around good.
Harvest 2023, Edition 35. 50.2%. From RIo Seco, Oax. Regulo Martínez Parada.

Very light—middle of the road—aroma, taste, and finish.
Aroma is fairly plain….mostly smoke, some light sweetness.
The taste follows suit and not a lot going on except some decent smoke. There is a hint of peppermint on the backend. As it sat, there might even be some band aid (a clean one).
Finnish is ok, but does not bring anything new.
This is a good mezcal for newbies.
Produced in 2022, Edition 141. 45%

After finishing my review, AndrewF says it’s “aggressively average”….that is a great descriptor here.

Best Sotol I have ever had! Really great! Like finding a candied orange while wandering in the desert.
The aroma is really good with earthiness and orange salt-water taffy.
The taste is great with some minerals, pepper and some citrusy sweetness that I wasn’t expecting but love.
The aroma is good, deep and complex.
This is bright, earthy, sweet goodness from Chihuahua!

Edit: after finishing my review, I read Ben P‘s review. He’s right on about the mint.

This is the house brand at Cantina Mayahuel in San Diego. And it’s good!
Very aromatic with musty soil, mint, pepper, light citrus, and charred jalapeños. I could spend all day smelling this!
The taste is great, lots of agave sweetness, some earth and light vegetal notes. A burst of pepper comes in at the back end.
Finish is good with lingering sweetness, although a little hot. Lip smacking good.
Good balance of sweet and earthy.

48.14%. Lote TBS07/22. Bottle date 4/22. Bottle 281 of 400. From Mixteca Baja, Oaxaca. Distiller Alfredo Santiago Jimenez. Stone pit with Red Oak. Natural yeast. Copper still. Still strength.

My favorite of the three expressions from this brand. It’s not your usual vegetal Tepeztate. It’s more!
The aroma is sensational! It’s like being at a farmers market. There’s lots of veggies and ripe fruit and green apple.
The taste surprised me by the initial sweetness, then followed by plenty of veggies, pepper, and mint. The longer, I kept it in my mouth, the more it evolved.
The finish is long, complex with some light fruitiness that although unexpected was quite wonderful!
JMM-tep1. 47%
Special shout out to El Dawg the sample! if anyone has questions about this great brand, he knows tons.

While Tobala is not my usual profile, this bottle is really good and easy to drink.
The aroma is fairly light with some starchy sweetness, maybe some grilled pineapple, and a little starchy funk.
The taste is incredibly silky-smooth and elegant. In the mouth right away, I get piloncilo sugar, chocolate, and vanilla flan.
The finish is fairly short and smooth and sweet.
It’s so easy to drink that this would be a great Mezcal to introduce to newbies.
JMM-tob1. 47%
Special shout out to El Dawg the sample! if anyone has questions about this great brand, he knows tons.

This is a really good, and really interesting Espadin! For me, the aroma and the taste are two separate experiences. Both great!
The aroma is fairly light with some floral notes and fruit. There’s even a light salinity. I would say it’s fairly similar to other good espadin mezcales.
The taste is like a whole different planet! Really unique, complex and wonderful! Plenty of dark and sweet brown sugar, pepper, creamy smoothness. I don’t think I’ve ever tasted an espadin like this before. And I would like some more!
The finish is long balanced… Really nice. My brain keeps thinking about warm cinnamon rolls coming out of the oven.
JMM-esp1. 47%
Special shout out to El Dawg the sample! if anyone has questions about this great brand, he knows tons.

Earth, Fruit and Fire! This one is awesome. I love most clay distillations but this one is so good, not overpowering with the “clayness”. I would put this one up there with an all-time favorite Lalocura San Marteño. Not as a comparison, just how much I like them.
The aroma was coming off my clay copita from two feet away as I began my notes. Strong aroma of earth, some tropical fruit, mint, cantaloupe and green apple. Wonderful!
Taste is thick and oily with an immediate presence of bursting flavor that is lightly sweet, earthy and a really good peach.
The finish is not Smokey—but good campfire and a wee tingly.
Overall great balance, body and finish with this one. Home run from Maguey Melate! 4.75
I am always chicken to give something 5 stars. I will do a side by side with some others and adjust up if need be.

Really good capon’d espadin make great mezcal! Add a clay pot and I am in love!
There are two versions here, both same process/batch except for water source. Both are great.
Rio Chico water source–46.4%
Aroma is chalky, slight vegetal with dry dirt. Hmmmm, where is the clay and berry cream of many ancestral batches?
Taste is great with an exceptional viscous mouthfeel! Easy to sip with a burst of lime zest at the backend.
Finish is good and as it fades there is a sweet clay note, almost floral.
Really great!

Tierra Blanca water source–47.5%
Aroma has berries, cream, clay and is sweet with light tanginess.
Taste is great, very balanced, not as viscous as Rio Chico water source, but definitely sweeter.
Finish is incredible and steady, very long.
This is more “clay-pot” profile than the Rio Chico.

Heladio, please keep you experiments cooking! I love them.

This one is amazing! After having the Espadin and Repo versions, the rep accepted my secret handshake and brought out a bottle from under his table. “Shhh, I don’t have enough for everyone”, is usually a good way to make a new friend.
I did not get much of the bottle info, but I remember hearing Guerrero. I did not look at the abv–and if you told me it was 40% I would have objected strongly–but it acted like a good one in the high 40s.
Aromas of backyard bbq, tropical fruit and light perfume. Very nice!
The taste was fairly smooth (maybe it was lower abv) with more tropical fruit, light smoke, pepper and earth.
The finish was worth finding this bottle! The blend of earthy sweetness was incredible and memorable. One of the best finishes ever.
Overall great and superbly well-balanced mezcal.

MR does not have the Amaras Verde listed. So here is my review for that.

Mezcalera Diana Orozco, the agave is listed as Espadin Verde.
Aroma has intense smoke and after a while orange blossom.
The taste is fun, and very good but it hits you all at once–very intense. It’s a little sweet, earthy, with light citrus.
The finish is good, long and balanced.
ABV 43%
3.5 stars

Also came in at 42% from Mezcalera Diana Orozco. It was aged three months and enhanced the ok flavor of the non-aged Espadin.
The aroma was fairly muted (especially compared to the regular Espadin).
The taste was sweet with less smoke.
Finish was mellow, sweet with some light pepper.
Overall this would be a good intro to mezcal if you were coming from aged tequila or even whiskey.

Mezcalera Diana Orozco. This came in at 42% and was ok to good overall.
Aroma was very strong smoke with cedar and cherry.
The taste was oily, smoky and quite intense with cherry cough syrup.
The finish settled down ok with some mint and pepper.

While at the Caballito Cerrero distillery in June 2022 my brother and I had a tour and tasting. Getting there is an adventure by itself. You should go. Mezcal Reviews did a great blog about it a couple years ago.

I did not expect a puntas (70%) when I arrived. I hadn’t planned to buy any bottles on this trip due to luggage cost on the airplane. After tasting it I changed my mind and got a bottle. They were out of the Chato (one that I tried) and I took home Azul 70%. By the way did anyone else encounter a switcharoo like this?

The aroma was like no other agave spirit ever. Definite alcohol but more like a pine scented nuclear fusion. I had a few goes at trying to get aromatics, but every time I could not describe it, except to say it’s like UFO fuel.
The taste was unique and great as well–overwhelming and beautiful at the same time. Definite heat but some river-rock minerality that was sensational. The taste happened very quickly almost no time to gauge what was happening.
The finish is what sold it for me, it was really good. There was something ultra-clean about it.
This was more an experience than a tasting. Like a roller-coaster ride that was so good you get off and say “what happened?”

While really good, this one was tough to describe some of the aromas and tastes. I still think this one is great.
The aroma might have some fruit punch–until it disappears–replaced by sea salt and green mango.
The taste is excellent with good heat, light spice, pepper and a hint of charred asparagus.
The finish good also extenuating the good flavors, then it turns slightly bitter and even dusty earth. Overall great!

Once you get past the funky aroma, you will like it. I was put off by the super strong aroma, but then settled into a really enjoyable tasting.
The aroma–WOW! It is super powerful, with fermented fruit, earth, light mint and a hint of petrol. It’s ok.
The taste is really nice and silky with more mint, some sweetness and light vegetal.
The finish is fantastic and super balanced with the taste. It doesn’t last long but keeps the great flavors for a little while.

The aroma has fruit punch, citrus and unripe mango.
The taste is silky, good heat (very subtle) and repeats many of the flavors in the aroma.
The finish is really long and warm, overall a great balanced tequila.

The bonus bottle (I think) was the “honorary” mezcalera from San Felipe Guanajuato. This was my favorite of the three “tequilas”.

The aroma is good with tangy fruit, pine, medium lactic and “farm” smells.
The taste is also good with citrus, spice, more pine and a hint of mint.
The finish is the best part for me because of how the heat cools nicely. There is a slight bitterness at the end, but still good.

MM sent out three “tequilas” recently. This is my least favorite…but there is always tomorrow.

This ensemble brings the PM family together nicely. If I had one to pick for my bar it would be this one (sorry Mexicano). It does so many good things and can appeal to many.
The aroma is ok, mostly highlighting the earthy alto.
The taste is so great! It brings all the expression flavors together and is a nice combination of the earthy, heat and sweetness from its constituents.
The finish is really fun. Almost chewy with some viscosity and flavors. Very well done!