Nose – Soft oaky notes. Vanilla bean.

Palate – Animal crackers. Cherry blossom. Grassy. Thin mouth feel. Great balance between agave and oak flavors. Sweet and salty teriyaki finish.

A rockin’ reposado mezcal!

Nose – Strong aromas of new basketball shoe latex and a funky, nuttiness – together they are quite pleasant.

Palate – First impression – delicious, complex and hard to dial in. Plus, the flavors last nearly a minute (to be fair, realizing that then mentally timing that could’ve been a distraction, haha). Dipping in again, this has distinct wood notes – not barrel wood notes but raw, natural, biting into a birch tree, wood notes. Also, a cool, dried fruitiness to it. This is a very easy drinking sotol. I think a bottle of this would disappear quick.

This was a 1.5 oz. sample (Lot 1) by mezcal reviewer and Axel Rose stunt double, Rahkal (all he needs is a little patience).

Nose – Light aroma of raw cherries. Very subtle nose.

Palate – Level of sweetness is like sprinkling some sugar crystals on your tongue. A bit of leathery ruggedness to it. Light to medium viscosity. Gets a tad hot in the middle then dips down again. A slight numbing effect in the aftertaste. Overall, nice balance and straight down the middle flavor intensity (albeit some heat). Solid stuff.

This was a 1.5 oz. sample from distinguished mezcal reviewer and puntas smasher, Rahkal (Lot 2).

Nose – Floral / rosy. Soft vanilla.

Palate – Grassy with a cinnamon candy heat. Some baking chocolate and a touch of vanilla in the finish.

Pretty good stuff, less herbal / medicinal than many sotols from Chihuahua. Reminds me of some great Cucharillo batches coming from Oaxaca, specifically Miahuatlan.

This was a 1.5 oz. sample from platinum certified mezcal reviewer, Rahkal (Lote 7).

Nose – White cheddar. Olive oil. Thyme.

Palate – Crispy bacon fat. Herbal. Pine sap. This is awesome! Lower ABV (42%) which usually I struggle with… but great, honest flavors at that. An easy drinking (light) sotol, haha.

This was a 1.5 oz. sample from mezcal reviewing wrecking ball, Rahkal. Lot 1.

Nose – Green leafy aroma. Dusty. Rock candy. Pine needles.

Palate – Slight buttery funk to it, nice! Anise. Sage brush. Candy cane. Pine. Like Christmas on Little House on the Prairie.

This was a 1.5 oz sample from mezcal review ninja, Rahkal. Lot 3.

Nose – Heavy, heavy black licorice. Almost a sambuca bomb. Orange liqueur as well. Subtle note of Wheat Thins. Not detecting any meat.

Palate – Black licorice flavor is much more toned down but still prevalent. Orange bitters. With pechugas in general I usually have a “meat blind spot” – this is no exception. I really wish I could pick it out more. But what is there is quite tasty.

After tasting this, I read the previous review on the Earl Gray tea note. Spot on! It’s like this Rakhal fella really knows what he’s talking about. 😉

This was a 1.5 oz. sample by mezcal rocknrolla, Rakhal – same bottle (Lot 1).

Nose – Brown sugar crystals. Pleasant, nail polish aroma.

Palate – Man…. first sip is a delicious balance of grass, brown sugar and perfect heat, what an entry! From there, dried fruit (dates perhaps), slightly herbal and the smoke element is like singed grass (GoT reference: “kissed by fire”, ha!). Fantastic to sip!

This was a 1.5 oz. sample from mezcal reviewing legend and all-around good dude, Rakhal – same bottle (Lot 1).

Nose – Orange citrus, vanilla. Nice aromas you’d expect from an espadin although the smoke was a bit too exhaust-like for me.

Palate – Hot and rough to start and then it smartened up a bit. Mandarin orange flavor, vanilla extract but the rough smoke flavor needed a solid 10-15 minutes to dissipate. This finished decent but too much of a journey to get there. This was a 2 oz. pour in a restaurant. Glad I tried it, not rushing out to buy a bottle though. I’ll still give other bottles from this brand a try though.

Lot: S-01-CEA-19
(64% Coyote, 31% Espadin, 5% Arroqueno)
Nose – White chocolate. Sour apple. Slight elevated ethanol vs. other Tio Rey’s stuff.
Palate – Great above average viscosity and mouthfeel. Cookie batter. Tiny bit of cheesecake. Downside is the slight rough alcohol in the nose is present in the flavor.

Nose – Peanut shells. Apple peels.

Palate – Big wood notes to start. Nutty. Dry middle. Mineral finish. Just ok.

Fruity (red apple). Celery. Sweet potato. Very approachable. 2 oz pour at Las Almas Rotas in Dallas, TX. Great stuff!

Batch: SIL-MAD-001 Bottle: 213
Nose – Peanut shells. Birch bark. Icing sugar.

Palate – Pecan. Walnut. Raw, wet oak. Moss. Stone. Watermelon fruitiness. Woody, nutty and earthy – a fantastic madrecuishe. MM, you’re on a roll!

Batch: MIG-INA-001 Bottle: 119
Nose – Lemonade. Rosy. A little bit of lactic funk but nice!

Palate – Pink lemonade blast. Char grilled zucchini. Oak wood ash. Shaved parmesan cheese. Dry champagne finish. Amazing stuff!!!

Lot MGG-13C Bottle: 174/319
Nose – Fresh coconut meat. Rainy soil. Violets.

Palate – Charred pine wood. Somewhat floral. Heavy notes of rolling tobacco, cigarette ash and a bit of latex in the finish. Some parm cheese and anise in the aftertaste. A tad hot for 46% ABV.
Rating: 3 stars

Lot MGG-12T.
Nose – Garden fresh scallions. Sweet cocktail onion. Icing sugar.

Palate – Less green and vegetal flavors compared to the aromas in the nose (dialed back to a subtle level). Slighlty over medium viscosity. Nordic tobacco (snus). A bit of anise. The finish is fantastic – a combination of hot cinnamon, white pepper and a lingering jalapeno heat. A rock solid tepeztate!

Batch ALI-TOB-001.
Nose – Pureed red apples. Apple peels. Little bit of cinnamon.

Palate – I get some great apple sweetness (and pears) but it’s very balanced with the agave notes. Subtle baking spices. Mesquite potato chips. Cider-like finish and quite dry. A nice bit of vanilla pops up in the aftertaste and lasts. This is very pleasant – I’m a big fan!

Batch – ADE-MAD-001
Nose – Slightly floral. Wet soil. Brown sugar.

Palate – Sweet potato. Rock candy. Silky smooth for near 57% ABV (High 40s heat to me). So frickin’ good!

Nose – Cherry soda. A slight funky lactic aroma.

Palate – Sugary, roasted agave. Potpourri. Light licorice note. Grassier and more minerality in the finish compared to an espadin. Mint in the aftertaste. Sweet the whole way through. I’m not terribly versed in bacanora yet, but this bottle does the spirit well. I’m happy I bought it.

Nose – Big League Chew bubble gum. Malt vinegar.

Palate – Tanginess of a Carolina style BBQ sauce. Lemon meringue pie filling. Flaky turnover crust. Apple cider. Champagne. Aftertaste has a tiny white pepper heat and the subtle savory aspect of a white, chicken gravy. An incredible mezcal!