Not a great sipper. I see VIDA at a lot of bars and it’s mostly used for mixing cocktails, as it should be. There are notes vanilla and leather on the initial sip but it quickly becomes dominated by flavors of alcohol and generic smoke. The finish is strong and the lingering taste is slightly metallic. If you are new to mezcal and want to enjoy some Del Maguey neat, my recommendation is to start with the Chichicapa or Minero… or why not both! Del Maguey has released some really great offerings over the years, but this is not it. If you see it as an option for a cocktail mixer then go for it. Vida makes great margaritas because the strong smoke notes shine through nicely. Two stars as a sipper, four stars as a mixer.
Soft vegetal on the nose. Vicious mouthfeel which is quite consistent across the Tosba lineup. The vegetal and floral tobala notes aren’t strong, they remain subtle among notes of grape, salt, ash, and apple. Smooth finish with lingering smoke.
2019 Update. Tried lot 22 and really enjoy it. Lots of fruit, guava, and roasted pineapple. Delicious.
Light smoke on the nose. Oily on the palate. There is agave sweetness, banana, and citrus. Very enjoyable mezcal served neat. Lot 005.
Honey and pepper. Papaya and cinnamon. Vanilla, clay, and jalapeño. This is a complex and flavorful mezcal that should be sought out and enjoyed. Lot 15/2
Rich nose of leather and fruit. Oily mouthfeel. Delicious full-bodied espadin. Robust flavors of citrus, peppermint, and caramel sea salt. Lot 14/4
The softer side of tepextates, this Koch is floral was faint note of cranberry that finishes with peppery ash. Smooth finish with a lingering sweetness. Lot: MK003/15
On the nose there is fruit and pepper. Like the Bruxo Tobala I’ve tried, the flavors here are so clean and defined. Notes of honey, vanilla, leather, pepper. On the palate there is oily sweetness. It finishes with lingering burnt peat. I’ve only had a few straight Barrils and enjoyed them immensely so I might be partial, but nonetheless this is an enjoyable mezcal and quite affordable at that.
Pepper and citrus on the nose. This espadin is very light on the palate. There are notes of wood, citrus, pepper, and papaya. The finish is light with a lingering taste of citrus and honey. At 41% ABV this mezcal carries a lot of flavor whereas some at this ABV taste watered down.
A robust, full-flavored espadin. Not surprised at all that this is wild agave and aged-in-glass as the agave taste is in full force. On the nose there is leather and earth. Very vegetal flavors, notes of sweet minerals, metallic, and citrus. Lot D5006-E from March 2014
There is a lot going on with this ensamble. The minty cirial shines through for me whereas the vegetal tobala remains subtle. There are notes of leather and spice. I have a feeling that time in the bottle will help these flavors mellow over time and help better define the flavors of the individual agaves.
This espadin goes down smooth at 40% ABV. This has your classic mezcal smoke.. along with notes of minty sweetness, rainwater, slight earthiness. This Wahaka is a great one to give people trying mezcal neat for the first time as the alcohol won’t overpower them. This would also make for a great cocktail; one that isn’t dominated by strong citrus, allowing the mezcal flavors to remain prominent. Considering the low price of around $35 USD a bottle, this espadin is a great way to get into mezcal. Lot: FORTALEZA-011
There are notes of rubber/bubblegum on the nose. There is some nice fruitiness to this mezcal.. grape, mango, mint. The finish is strong and lingers a bit. Another very enjoyable mezcal from Alipus. Lot SLR004/15
Like many of Don Valente Angel’s excellent mezcals, this spirit is full of delicious minerality. It’s velvety on the palate. This espadin is fruity, hints of salt, and soft floral notes. Probably my favorite of the five Alipus offerings, though I’m admittedly partial to the flavors of this Don Angel’s mezcals. Lot SAM006/15
At first glance, Montelobos seems to straddle the line between artisanal and industrial mezcal. They only have one offering in a fancy bottle: a joven espadin. I heard the company bought the roof of a well-utilized small town palenque so their mezcal could capture the same natural fermentation notes that had baked into the original roof from previous decades – much like a well-used BBQ pit continues to impart richer flavors as time passes. If true, that’s very intriguing.
At any rate, this is good stuff.. especially for mixing. The ABV is 43% so the mezcal flavors will remain prominent in cocktails like an old fashioned or paloma. Drinking neat, Montelobos has a subtle smoke, nice vanilla notes, and some nice vegetal flavors for a well-priced espadin. Some of the standard espadin mezcals taste watered down but this is a nice full-flavored espadin. My rating would be 3.5 stars; will be keeping a bottle of this on the shelf for all occasions.
Yummy tepextate from Aquilino. There are soft peppers and floral agave on the nose. Velvety mouthfeel. There is some saltiness with the spice on initial sip. I get notes of firewood, charred fruit, and hot peppers. Once you ease into this mezcal you notice an array of botanicals. Very tasty and not too overpowering considering the strong ABV. This review is for LOT A-08-T-16 which is 53.1% ABV.
Peppery on the nose, this is a very complex and masterful tepextate mezcal. This is a very balanced mezcal where minerality meets sweet pepper and earthy cinnamon. The finish is incredibly smooth with sweet spice lingering. This review was for a 2014 edition 09 batch GMTE250216EJ from Gregorio Garcia.
Dec. 2020 Update —
I’ve grown less fond of the Gregorio M. Garcia batch. As it opens up it becomes a bit sour. 3.5 stars. After trying El Jolgorio Tepeztate from 5 different mezcaleros, my favorite is from Ignacio Parada. Edition 15 from 2016 is huge and green with complex sugars. 4.5 stars.
My rating represents the overall experience with five different batches.
This delicious tepextate from Rey Campero is very vegetal on the nose with minimal spice that doesn’t take hold until you sip. The flavors are earthy, cinnamon, and jalapeno with undertones of caramel. This batch is 49% ABV so expect a bite if your palate isn’t warmed up. This review is for the following batch: September 2015 LOT D5003-T
Distilled in March 2016 by Aquilino Garcia Lopez. Slightly vegetal on the nose. This corn “pechuga” Vago Espadin has a slightly oily mouthfeel. The Elote has a punch with smoke and sweet corn flavors shining through. There are notes of grape juice and cinnamon along with a bit of spearmint. This Vago is very unique and worth adding to your collection. Over time I’ve been more drawn to the straight espadins from Vago but this is a fun to enjoy with friends.
Fruity on the nose, this mezcal from Durango is different than what you’ll taste from Oaxaca. It’s a very light mezcal on the palate with notes of honey, butter, fruit, rosewater, and citrus.
Wow, very surprised by this Nuestra Soledad edition. It is very floral and vegetal on the nose, almost like a tobala. The mouthfeel is syrupy like a pechuga which I found unique for this type of mezcal. This mezcal has a faint clay taste with vanilla, jalapeno, and wood. The finish is a bit hot but quickly softens to a sweet lingering taste. By far my favorite Nuestra Soledad out of the four I’ve tasted. This was Lot PV-E001 Edition 1 from 2014.
