sda 202 – strong clay nose. corny/vegetal taste with mid-level smoke, some nice spice, and a hotter finish than i would particularly care for, but regardless, not a bad sipper. i think that overall, the flavor is more complex and carries more depth than my old standard del maguey vida, but the vida is a little more palatable so i’d honestly probably spring for that one instead.

2020 – lote 2 – bubblegum/cherry on the nose, smooth oak on the palette. super easy drinking. would make a killer mezcal old fashioned but a killer sipper as well. incredible no matter how you spin it.

lote SLR004/20 bottle 1134 nom-014x. candy on the nose, mild smoke and vanilla on the palette with a delicate finish. easily one of my favorites mezcals i’ve had.

lot 20, bottle 365-1750. light menthol/mint on the nose. citric copper taste, but incredibly smooth and palatable. not any sort of outstanding, profound individual flavor in favor of a balanced sip, but nonetheless, a sotol i would keep on my shelf.

nom-159-scfi-2004. aromatically earthy with a touch of sweet corn but a little more industrial to the taste. strong rubber notes that dominate most other flavors that may or may not be present. regardless, an easy sipper and a solid option for anyone new to sotol.

harvest 2021, batch number 210302. aggressively vegetal on the nose, sweet, smooth mineralogy on the way down. notes of clay in the middle with slight clove finish. beautiful sotol.

Nothing on the nose. Smooth to the point of being watery, some decent sweet corn notes, but that’s about all the good this one has to offer. Watery tequila is an apt description per the other reviewers.

Herbaceous and fruity with a touch of clay on the nose. Smooth up front with big tropical notes to transition into that black pepper smoke on the way out. Solid mezcal that I could imagine would be outstanding not only as a sipper, but in cocktails as well.

I thought this one was lovely. Though it’s almost indistinguishable from a blanco tequila on the nose (with a hint of rubber), it’s one of the smoothest mezcals I’ve ever had. Just enough espadín sweetness to provide that distinctive smoke we’re all looking for, but with a bright, cleansing finish. Would absolutely stock this one at my house.

Praline on the nose is lovely, but the oak/vanilla notes mask everything about the true expression of the agave. Granted, I don’t love reposado tequila or new world chardonnay so my disdain for this isn’t surprising to me, but nonetheless, the expression of mezcal is totally lost on this espadín but for the faintest suggestion of smoke in the middle of the sip.

Clay on the nose was a nice start to the sip. Velvety is a spot on description of the mouthfeel. Smoke was predominant, but not overpowering enough to mitigate the zesty finish. Solid sipper, would definitely order again.

Listen… I happen to like Ilegal despite the hate it gets. It’s a cheaper mezcal that a lot of bars have so it’s a good standard to sip on when in doubt. Smooth up front, then sweet smokiness that tapers off into a sweet smooth finish towards the end. Nothing exceptional, but it will absolutely wet the whistle and satisfy a hankering for mezcal when in doubt and your favorite bar probably stocks it on their back bar. Hard to argue with that.

Standard espadín. Really smoky in the front that tapers off into a vegetal sweetness in the back. Not a lot of depth here, but the finish is good enough, that I would probably order this over a standard DMV. Far from the worst celebrity mezcal (looking at you Casamigos).

Allspice on the nose, smooth and tropical on the palette. Great value and a good intro mezcal for anyone otherwise uninitiated.