Batch: TPCO 01 (Bottle: 169/353)
Nose: Suede. Peppered, teriyaki turkey jerky.

Palate: Spicy (white pepper) lychee (sweetness). Very hot finish – more white pepper, brine, some clay and a drop of sugar water.

Good 100 mL sample – glad I tried it.

Batch: AP-06 (Bottle: 412/690)
Nose: Lemon citrus and sugar. Faint smoke.

Palate: Toasted bread. Slightly sour. Hard to detect any of the sweetness from the nose. Tastes weak even at the 40% ABV. Despite that a fair bit of vapor on the finish with a heavy dose of tobacco flavor and paint.

Lot: D-01-19 (Bottle: 53/72)
Nose: Dried cherry. Clay. Wet soil – smells humid and earthy.

Palate: Bubble gum. Cherry twizzlers. Middle is the onset of some heat with a freshness of a quality breath mint. Finish is hot, vapory and minty. Aftertaste is cherry sweet with sea salt and as that fades I can really pick up the clay.

This Lalo 200 mL Agave Mix Tape bottle doesn’t stand a chance!

LOTE: DMRL0119
Nose: Blackberry yogurt. The slightest hint of blue cheese but not as funky as other cenizos I’ve tried.

Palate: Big initial hit of deer jerky. Minty, sweet milk. Buttered popcorn. Finish is a bit creamy, a bit meaty with an aftertaste of light smoke and thyme.

This comes in at 3.75 but I rounded up because it has a lot of great stuff going on that shouldn’t work but do.

LOTE No: A-26
Nose: Dusty. Rock candy. Smooth, sweet vapor.

Palate: Orange creamsicle. A pleasant, warm finish with light smoke. Can detect some of the advertised leather in the aftertaste.

I do enjoy this and have the 375 mL bottle. But there are some great, comparable 750 mL bottle espadins for the same price. This espadin on its own would be about 3.75 stars but I rounded down a tad due to value.

Lot: ES02-20 (Batch Size: 2239/3600, Year: 2020)
Nose: Big time rubber. Vanilla. Citrus. Medium smoke.

Palate: Opens great – candy and marshmallow. Smoke builds in the middle and barrels its way through the finish and beyond. Mineral bitterness rivals the smoke in the aftertaste. The smoke is nice but it’s pretty abundant.

BATCH: APTPTX-04 (Bottle: 059/690)
Nose: Potent sugary lime citrus. Grassy, wet soil.

Palate: Cotton candy and fine tobacco out of the gates. Grassy, earth finish with a nice vegetal-pepper heat. Sweetness and smoke still linger in the aftertaste.

There’s a lot to like here…one of my favorite ensamble mezcals!

LOTE: YB-ET-02 (20/06/20 L2)
Nose: Orange cheesecake. Light smoke.

Palate: Grassy. Creamy, sweet citrus – grapefruit but not as bitter. Nice smoky finish and heat to be expected for a 42% ABV.

Awesome espadin and tobala ensamble!

Nose: Brown sugar. The vapors are very sweet. Clove. Clay. Oddly, I pick up a hint of red wine too.

Palate: Clove/nutmeg/cinnamon-infused baked dessert. A “comfort spirit” to a tee. Finish is a bit hot – big time peppermint and subtle sweetness of grape bubble gum. An incredible destilado nonetheless!

Batch: PCF09-1801 (Bottle: 1,917/10,000)
Nose: Agave sugar pop! Tall grass. A saltiness like smelling your skin after being in the ocean.

Palate: Big time citrusy sugar the whole way through. Add to that: slight creaminess. A white pepper and leathery heat. Balanced smoke. Super solid espadin!

Lote: JOJTO1-20
Nose: Wet moccasins, cigarettes and a dash of sugar.

Palate: Stiff, chemically ethanol entry. Mouth feel is watery. Sweetness likens to putting several Stevia packets into lukewarm water. Finish is stiff and smoky.

Not enjoyable. In the infamous words of Ralph Wiggum: “Taste like… burning”

Lote: DLSL0019
Nose: BBQ-flavored potato chips. Sea salt. Raw sugar.

Palate: Extremely variable between sips:
1st pull – Almost nothing there – weak and watery. 42% ABV… what?
2nd pull – Pleasant upon entry – rubbery sweet. Then it all disappears again.
3rd pull – Very cool smoke flavor I can’t put my finger on. A sugar-laded funk in the background. Peppermint – more pepper than mint. Awesome sweet and salty finish.

I’m really glad I gave this a chance. It’s not mind-blowing but it definitely got much better. I’d say peak taste rating would be 3.5 stars but seeing as though a bottle of this is around $50 and it took some time to get there, I shaved off half a star.

Lote: 2419
Nose: Smoky and light fruitiness.

Palate: Extremely smoky the whole ride – apple sweetness with it to start. Mouth feel is a tad slick. Vapory finish of smoldering brake pads and clay minerality.

It takes a few pulls to get used to the aggressive smoke but when you get there it’s better.

Lote: VERS-S 12-1-19
Nose: Chopped candied jalapeños (if there ever was such a delicious thing). Nose feel is wet and heavy.

Palate: Smooth. mint-infused heat – very nice mouth feel. Charred Anaheim peppers. Great lasting, warm and sugary aftertaste, like a spicy (chili pepper), candy cane.

Lote: 1/2020
Nose: Red apple fruitiness. A tad of ethanol.

Palate: Slight, sweet cream to start and a nice, subtle viscosity. Very strong, lasting smoky aftertaste of leather, brine and cigar.

I like this as a sipper. I’ve seen this going in the $25-30 range – killer value!

Lote: C2-40/MZ
Nose: Toffee. Calf-skin leather. Virtually no smoke.

Palate: Sugary caramel to start then an eruption of smoke. A bit hot for a 40% APV. An aftertaste of honey, burnt rubber and tobacco.

This reposado was a bit of a trickster. Super sweet on the nose and early in the palate – the oak barrel influence. Then a sharp turn to espadin town. Overall, it’s a decent mezcal reposado – I’ll pour myself another.

Nose: Perfect amount of vapor – gets your attention but by no means overpowering. Good smoke. Nice floral sweetness on the back of my tongue – yes from the nose.

Palate: Initial agave sugar boom and then slowly tapers off. Aftertaste is a smooth, smoke pick-me-up – mesquite and pine. Really nice. Great warming effect all the way through – awesome 50% ABV spirit.

Lot No: MRU121
Nose: Gentle smoke. Hint of key lime pie. Very slight mild cheddar.

Palate: Smooth smoke all the way through. Vanilla milkshake notes upon entry. Aftertaste has some rubber in there – good though!

The flavors in this 80 proof are balanced and light from start to finish. Extra half star for value.

SOT-C 10-06-2020
Nose: Unshucked corn – more the greenness of the ears and a slight sweetness from the fresh maize inside.

Palate: An initial black pepper heat but then quickly subsides to a floral sweetness. Very flowery! Also in the background is natural rubber and some of the corn I picked up in the nose.

This is my first ever sotol and I really enjoy it – tastes very well-crafted.

Bottle #: 119/2186
Nose: Dusty. Stainless steel. A hint of vanilla. Decent amount of smoke.

Palate: Tastes quite industrial. Icing sugar sweet. High proof brings out a metallic, sour profile. Tons of smoke but more of the vehicle exhaust variety.

The mezcal liquid has a slight yellow color in the bottle but a lesser tinge of it in the glass – not terribly appetizing for a joven. Give this one a miss.