Very nice subtle wood smoke and guava on the nose, much the same on the palate – some light wood smoke, guava and sweetness, green avocado and a little slight bitter bite at the end to keep it from being too sweet. Very nice and balanced, would buy again, definitely try some if you find it, probably out of circulation already!

Lot CHI-175.

Understated nose, a small amount of smoke, some eucalyptus and cedar wood, maybe a little vanilla.

Oak barrels, mint, eucalyptus, cotton candy and bitter herbs on the palate, in that order, with a long slightly smokey finish. Great sipping!

The first mezcal bottle that I bought. For me, Vida is two things: smoke, and guava, on the nose and on the tongue. It was a nice intro to something with that agave alcohol taste, different than my Don Julio and intriguing, but ultimately my bottle has fallen to the wayside as I’ve explored better Mezcals. I still use this to mix margaritas with occasionally, it adds a nice smokey fruity twist to the drink.

Big downside though: Vida gives me hangovers. Good tequila doesn’t and most of the other mezcals I have don’t either.

Rezpiral Apolonio and Simeon Ramirez Tepextate 2017 Series 2 bottle 18/133

Upon first opening the bottle I got a huge wave of wet cigarette ash, just overpowering. It has since mellowed out (thankfully!) to give green peppers, wet ash, desert sage, rock dust and mint.

Some real heat on the tongue which keeps me from sipping this too often. Tastes of white pepper and sugar cane, not a lot of complexity.

Not my go-to bottle, I still have 3/4 of it left, but I take it out occasionally

Series 2, 2017 Rezpiral bottle 65/400, Aureliano Hernandez Martinez

The nose on this is very restrained, some citrus rind and unripe avocado, opens up slightly with some tropical fruit with a drop of water

Cotton candy, guava, mango, steel and some heat on the palate. The flavors are subtle, little to no smoke, and well integrated – I have a hard time pulling one dominant flavor out.

5th edition, bottle 92/1420

Opening the bottle fresh, I found the nose to be full of green peppers and blue cheese – maybe almost stinky tofu? for those who have been to taiwan – with some sourness, like very fermented sauerkraut. Also mint and white peppercorn, and some hints of sweet fruit, like lychee. After pouring and letting it open up a bit, the blue cheese retreats to the smell of cream cheese spread on cut green peppers.

The palate was much the same: white pepper, chalky and mineral, cheese. Sweet and a little pungent, like white sugar on jalapenos, but relatively smooth.

If you let the glass sit empty for a bit, the nose putrefies more to something closer to stinky tofu.

Probably not for everyone but I’m glad I bought it and like the nose and taste

This was the 2017 harvest, 16th edition. Bottle 664/1200 purchased from my local liquor store.

Upon cracking open the bottle, the nose explodes with watermelon rind, cucumber peel, green pepper, maybe a little guava, some mint, maybe some lilac soap?, followed by some gentle ash – like from a dead campfire that burned out overnight, not the one you just dumped water on to put out – as well as some warm cedar wood, maybe some rose water.

Pouring it into the glass, you get some bubblegum and banana, cinnamon and the red cedar. Swirl it around and the ash gently rises up into the nose.

On the palate: sweet, some smoke, the cedar and cinnamon, with a slightly minty finish. A little heat from the alcohol, not the smoothest sip, but extremely well balanced and more grounded than the nose would imply.

An excellent bottling