Maestro Javier Jiménez Vizcarra, Javier Jiménez Teran
Jan 2024, bottle No. 64

It comes in at a staggering 71.5% – OMG this is an experience.
— light agave on the nose, with no hint of what is about to happen on the palette.

— goes in really round and viscous and almost skips over the front part of the tongue, but then WHAM that 71% hits like a volcano.

It always keeps the agave flavors, but it’s a wild ride. In the middle of the taste, there is a really nice woodiness around the agave. This is not for the faint of heart though.

Was a sample bottle sent recently without a batch number.
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Did not like this one. Tastes like Vecinos espadin with a shot of burning rubber. Oily mouthfeel. Tried it as a mixer and that didn’t work well either.

Lot SMA-161
Nose: pretty slight, a bit of acetone, maybe some Fanta orange.
Flavors: This is pretty soft and subtle. It’s tart and citrusy for an espadin. But not super remarkable.

Batch: 12-18, Lot 29
Agave: Maximiliana
Proof: 43.3%
Maestro Don Ruben Oena Fuentes

Nose: HUGE nose with lime zest and acetone.

Palate: Smooth and medium viscosity.

Flavors: Big lime and lemon bomb upfront. Then minerals and a bit of funky cheese (that same note that carries through all the Venenosa’s)

Don’t have the batch number…. tried recently at Mexico In a Bottle, Match 2023 (I assume this was the latest batch)

VERY nice Tep! Outside of the Sotol, this was my favorite bottle on the table. Spearmint, clay and cream are spot on from HighWine’s review. I thought perhaps more clay and leather as well.

The crazy way this bottle got into existence is worth seeking it out, as well as the flavors. Well done.

I don’t have detailed tasting notes… tried recently at Mexico In A Bottle, March 2023 in DC.

Capable espadin for sure. For me, it had a lot of the same profiles as Vecinos, which I consider a pretty middle-of-the-road mixer at best. While this is definitely better than the Vecinos, I didn’t find it had a lot to say or a lot of character.

Smooth, easy drinking… a tad oily palate.. just not my jam for an espadin.

I don’t have detailed tasting notes here.. I thought this was a very solid Sotol and my favorite bottle from Erstwhile (I tasted the entire line-up at Mexico in a Bottle, March 23 in DC)

Definitely, a brand to watch in the future.

Batch: Tobala Mazo 2021
Agave: Patatorum
Proof: 48%
Mezclaero: Edwardo Javier Angeles Cerreño
Pre Hispanic, Clay Pot, Two Distillations, Puntas y Colas

Nose: Faint smoke, sweet mesquite, and sauteed green apples

Palate: Completely balanced in the mouth, then the smoke hits the upper register of the nasal passages

Flavors: Round and almost barbecue sauce, lots of green peppers, cracked green pepper spice, – overall bright and green and smokey.

Batch: M5-001K
Agave: 4 types of agave Karwinskii
Proof: 52.94%
Mezcalero: Gonzalo Martinez Sernas

Nose: Dark fruits at a candy shop, a tiny bot of paint thinner, mint at the end
Palate: Nothing out of place. No burn, no tingle… a bit of a menthol note high in the upper nasal passage.

Flavors: Lots of citrus and mint, and that wonderful karwinskii herbaceousness.

This was my first “real authentic mezcal” way back when. I went from Vida to Mero Mero and never looked back. An extra half star for sentimental reasons.

Batch = Lot 18, Bottle 59 of 210
Agave = Patatorum, Maguey Tobalá
Proof = 48%
Mezcalero = Unlisted

Caveat = bottle has been opened for almost 2 years, and this is the last sip!

Nose = Light milk chocolate. Not much of the cheese notes it used to have.

Palate = Nice thickness, no burn, very round and pleasing

Flavors = A bit of nice sweet chocolate and cheese (Like the Ween song), a sweet grassiness with light smoke. It’s infinitely quaffable and delicious and right in the pocket for a good Tobalá.

Batch = 01
Agave = Inaequidense
Mezcalero = Jorgé Perez
Underground pit, oak mallets, eucalyptus canoes, lemongrass, and copper still

Note: The bottle has been opened at half mast for almost two years now at this tasting

Nose = Mild smoke, much less lemongrass than when it first opened. Slight ethanol.

Palate = A bit metallic and acidic, yes. A little astringent on the sides of the tongue (whereas it was not this way when first opened)

Flavors = LEMONGRASS, acidic minerality. Agree with the previous reviewer – there is a healthy bit of bitter ‘tea that has been steeped for too long” now.

Overall = Unfortunately, this is not holding up for me over time. It was far more delicate and floral, with beautiful lemongrass notes and none of the bitterness I’m picking up now. Could be interesting in cocktails at this point

Gigantes Batch Two
Proof: 44.9%
Bottle: 87 of 150

Nose: Wet earth, stewed agave, round, and vegetal with some cheese. No alcohol burn whatsoever

Palate: Immediately fully coating and mouthwatering. Very viscous and luxurious.

Flavors: Very fatty stewed green veggies and funk. Caramelized green bell peppers (if that were a thing), canned stewed cactus, loads of pure agave, beautiful lingering soft smoke throughout.

Finish: Keeps on going like a long winding desert road

It’s really freakin delicious.

Lot #1, Bottle #1
Agave = Salmiana
Proof = 47.4%
Mezcalero = Martin Hernandez
Brick Oven, Tahona, Pine Wood, Clay Pot

Nose – Funky salt and vinegar chips with barbecue sauce. After the first taste, the nose goes all the way up and turns into a lingering sweet mouth drop scent.

Palate – mouthwatering with a spicy tingle heat way in the top back of the throat.

Flavors – salt and vinegar, a bit of bone broth, and stewed vegetables, maybe leeks and ramps. It’s earthy and funky and wet…. TOTALLY my kind of thing!

Finish – This is my only ding. The finish falls off after a few seconds and is just… gone

It definitely carries some of the typical San Luis Potosí Salmiana cooked green agave notes, and it also has this clay pot funky funk (almost Papalome-ish) that makes it really interesting.

This punches well above it’s price range and sits side-by-side with Sintedos, Lalocura, Real Minero….etc. It is a new brand and has a LOT more to say in the future.

Batch CENC – 2/23/2022
Maguey Cenizo (agave Durangesis)
Proof – 54%
Mescaleros – Enrique y Federico De la Cruz
Pine Wood, underground oven, axe, copper

Nose – Some balsamic, tart berry

Palate – A bit hot and dry at first, but then it coats and settles down.

Flavors – WOW ok…. tart strawberry jolly rancher, red hots, a bit of fresh farm cream… so much going on here.

Finish – long and sustained level of light smoke and mild heat throughout.

For a durangesis this is on a whole other level.

Batch 120 IRM
Agave Inaquidens
Proof (rubbed off… guessing 46%
MEzcalero – Isidro Rodriiguez

Nose – A fresh cucumber and lime spritz on a hot summer day.

Palate – instantly coats the entire mouth, then there is a tiny bit of heat n the sides of the tongue. Very warming effect, but not HOT.

Flavors – More watermelon and citrus zest candy than cucumber. The more I try it, the more Meyer lemon comes out. Some slight yeast/toast in there….

This might be a perfect mezcal for me. It’s balanced, big, complex, and incredibly drinkable.

Ok Tyler… here goes. I decided to get one of my bottles to compare on the spot.

Lot 3, 01-2000, bottle 156 of 500

Nose: that good ole cheesy Venenosa profile… a little “wet infantry socks in the swamp” (Bit not as much as the El Tigre!)

Taste: VERY CREAMY! I love how it goes in the mouth and swells with that lactic yogurt thing. Then it calms down considerably, and I get more custard notes.

10000% agree that this gets killed with higher ABV spirits before. This is the starter. I think trying it with a very light flan would be interesting.

Lot A003
It’s decent for the price. it has saved me at shitty bars when there was no good mezcal or tequila, and thrice I found this lurking in the corner of the back bar.
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Almost no nose compared to more complex sotols.Viscous mouthfeel. Definitely has a pine and herbaceous start to the flavors, but then they just plain fall off a cliff. No finish. Not many mid-taste flavors either. Unlike the previous reviewer, I get ZERO bite whatsoever.

This is a VERY difficult bottle to rate. Giving it a 3.5 because it is one of the unique sotols (or any spirit for that matter) that I have in the cabinet.

Batch RS-IV-19

On the nose: BUBBLEGUM and light cheese notes with fruit jam spread.
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On the palate: BUBBLEGUM, strawberry, and cream bubblegum.

I’ve had this bottle for almost 2 years, and I have barely made a dent in it. It is so BUBBLEGUM FORWARD that I reserve it for tastings as an educational point, and a good laugh. I am 100% conflicted with this bottle… probably won’t buy it ever again, but do not regret it at all.

p.s. – in 2 years, it has not changed a bit in the bottle. If you’re a fan of bubblegum, this is your jam!

Lot 2, 08 de Mayo 2021
Nose – brine and sweetness and a tiny bit of nail polish ( which I think will dissipate once the bottle breathes)

Taste – VERY GREEN, with very apple jolly rancher flavors up front. I’m not getting strong chocolate notes as the previous reviewer…more like apple jolly rancher in a very buttery white chocolate croisant if there was such a thing.

IT”S DELICIOUS

I LOVE this one. Lot 39, 06-22
Nose – more like a big ole funky Arroqueño, with really sweet notes of honey and cheese and vinegar.
Taste – Smoked banana leaves and HEAVY on the sweet Texas barbeque sauce.
IMO this is the most savory and smokey offering from Venenosa and it’s positively delicious, especially for the price point (extra half a star for that)