Sour clay on the nose. There is some vegetal funk and earthiness here. It’s not doing a ton for me, maybe the clay distillation is muting the flavors. Lot ARQ04/15 from 2015.

Lot 04-P from 2012. Spearmint and anise on the nose. There are flavors of butterscotch and sour cherries. Light on the meat flavors with spices taking the forefront. Very nice and unique pechuga!

Floral on the nose. Barril flavors are prominent with a kick from the Mexicano. Little cinnamon, smoke, and citrus. Acidic finish. Lot 000216.

This anejo has aromas of barley malt like some bourbons. It’s quite smooth as it should be considering the long barrel-aging and ABV of 40%. It’s a bit dry with notes of vanilla bean, oak, and leather. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too dry and subdued. Glad I was able to try this but this wouldn’t be my first choice when enjoying an anejo on those rare occasions.

Lots of nice spice on the nose. Very interesting and flavorful release from Yuu Baal. The flavors jump around from cinnamon to vanilla to peach to crack pepper. Not much meatiness here but this is a tasty pechuga nonetheless. Very reasonably priced too. Batch YJ18-16.

An incredibly unique mezcal from Durango. It begins with an aroma of sweet cream. This mezcal is bursting with flavors of buttered popcorn, caramel, and firewood. At 45% ABV it has a great balance. Every sip reminds me of the first time I tried it at Tales & Spirits in Amsterdam. My batch number is a bit smudged but it ends with D2-01. 4 stars.

In February 2024 I tried a batch purchased in February 2021 and it wasn’t as enjoyable as the earlier batch. A bit pungent with strong allspice. Fermented orange on the nose. 3 stars. No batch number.

The Nuestra Soledad collection is some of the best mezcal in its price range; most bottles are around $50 USD or less. Unfortunately the Ejutla is the sour apple of the bunch. Maybe I’ve just tried a bad batch, but for me this mezcal is has a lot of rubbery and artificial notes. There are flavors of metal, ash, and what I imagine burst plastic to taste like. It’s still much better than industrial mezcals, but that’s not saying much. All of the other Nuestra Soledad mezcals are amazing, especially the Lachigui. This Ejutla was edition 8 from 2015, lot GRHES031215NS. 2 stars.

Sept. 2020 update – Tasted edition 58 from 2018. Gregorio Hernandez. Lot GRHES210218NS. Eucalyptus, fresh cut basil, fresh but mild flavor profile overall. Clean. Low smoke. Green agave mineral finish. 3.5 stars. Much more enjoyable to older batches.

Finally tried this at Sabina Sabe in Oaxaca City. This tepextate is light and herbal. Notes of roasted green pepper spice but the flavors expire quickly. The finish is a bit dry. I had really hyped this one up before trying it and was let down. Good but not great. Lot 2 SLR

Tons of caramel on the nose. Very smooth but not much going on in terms of flavor. Tastes way more like a tequila than a mezcal. There isn’t much info on the bottle except that Zignum contains: Distilled fermented green espadin agave juice. It’s sad that agaves are being harvested to produce this spirit. If you accidentally bought a bottle you might be able to use it to make old fashioneds.

Another tasty mezcal treat from Don Valente Angel. This time it’s an 80/20 blend of espadin and bicuishe. There is a lot of minerality with salt, citrus, then banana and whipped cream. There is a brief bite near the end of your sip that brings on another burst of minerals. Lot SABI015/15 which I think is the first batch of 800 bottles.

This espadin mezcal is good but not great. Compared to the other Del Maguey espadin mezcals in the same price range (~$70/bottle) it’s my least favorite. The flavors here are straight-forward: lime, smoke, sweet vanilla, and slight fruit. I get a slight hint of rubber on the finish. It’s smooth and tasty but a bit expensive compared to other options out there. Lot SLR-165

Huge fan of the El Jolgorio Espadin from Ignacio Parada and his pechuga doesn’t disappoint. Oily on the palate.. the mezcal has a yellowish hue in the bottle. Flavors jump around from figs to chocolate to bouillon stock. Taste of smoked turkey is prominent. Slight rubber finish. The bottle I purchased was placed at the store window (exposed to sunlight) and I’m curious if that may have affected the flavor. Regardless this is a very enjoyable pechuga. Lot 3 from 2014.

Gross. Tried this mezcal in a cocktail first and then sipped it neat at Mohawk in Austin. Tasted like cheap tequila.. the expected baseline mezcal flavor of cooked agave is not present. I wasn’t expecting much given the low price, but even as a mixer the flavors were not enjoyable. I did not know about the industrial background of this mezcal prior to tasting it, but in hindsight that makes sense given the lack of flavor.

This mezcal doesn’t have a worm in the bottle, there’s a scorpion. It’s kind of bizarre but not as bad as worm mezcal. There are some soft floral notes on the nose. It’s quite full and velvety on the palate. Flavor notes of pepper, vanilla, and a slightly artificial lime taste. Not the worst introduction into joven mezcal for those used to drinking industrial blanco tequila. The handwriting on my bottle is smudged but it looks like batch 113-2, bottle 2708 out of 5000.

Aged mezcals aren’t my go-to when at a bar, but it’s nice to try new brands. Considering the relatively low price, this is a tasty añejo. It has your classic añejo notes of honey and vanilla. It tastes very clean and goes down smooth. I’ve enjoyed the Yuu Baal espadín as well which is from the same mezcalero (also well-priced).

This cupreata is quite the palate-burner at 50.4% ABV. I can’t imagine what the Mayalen Guerrero tastes like at 54% ABV. When the spicy heat subsides there are nice notes of grape. Lot CP00313

Like other Koch mezcals I’ve tasted, this is very light on the palate. The flavor notes are light and sweet, with citrus and roasted sugar. Surprised it’s 47% ABV because it goes down smooth. It’s a decent mezcal to sip on but not as complex as other mezcals made with agave tobasiche.

Another delicious mezcal from Nuestra Soledad – this expression is full of sweet spice and sour cherry. There are nice vanilla notes with dried orange peel. Finishes smooth.

Great mezcal for the price point. This espadin has a minty bite that quickly smoothes out. There are flavors of dried fruit and soft smoke. This mezcalero also makes an espadin for Marca Negra which is also good but more expensive.

Agave cuixe makes an interesting mezcal. Bozal Cuixe is light on the palate with bright flavors. There is a perfume spice flavor here and it goes down like velvet with some grape sweetness. The finish is slightly artificial and sour but overall smooth. The price is quite low for a mezcal from agave cuixe.