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Del Maguey Tepextate Mezcal
Distiller Score 92
The nose is a bit unexpected with a blast of anise supported with lemon and black pepper. Its taste is a bit more typical (but certainly not boring) with vibrant notes of guava, Meyer lemon zest, and hint of fresh mint. It is vibrant, refreshing and profoundly crowd pleasing.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Mezcales de Leyenda San Luis Potosí
Distiller Score 93
This fabulous spirit has a complex nose of celery salt, seawater, and tangerine zest. Far from a smoke bomb, this spirit captures an elegant and pure style of mezcal. The mineral flavors provide an excellent framework for tones of grilled pineapple and toasted jalapeño. The finish has a bit of heat but lots of sweet fruit. Very good sipping mezcal.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Fidencio Tierra Blanca Mezcal
Distiller Score 89
There is a decent amount of smoke and lime zest in the beginning quickly supported by white pepper, chalk, crushed flowers, muddled mint and cilantro culminating with the mouth-watering scent of grilled meat, vegetal aromas and ash. Upfront on the palate is a subtle brine flavor before turning to lemon curd and chalk. The texture is soft but creamy and filled out with notes of prickly pear, papaya, galangal, lemongrass and lemon zest on the finish. Bright and clean much like a Karwinskii and a fun departure in the mezcal world.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Rey Campero Cuishe Mezcal
Distiller Score 93
This expression is a meeting place of fire, fruit and earth. Tropical mango, papaya and pineapple blend with peach, habanero pepper, chive and honeysuckle. Beach bonfire-smoke swirls around this mixture, coaxing it into the tingly hot finish.
Reviewed by Amanda Schuster
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Del Maguey San Jose Rio Minas Mezcal
Distiller Score 93
This is a very fruit-driven style of mezcal; pineapples jump out of the glass and right into your nose. White flowers, sheet rock, white pepper, and candied orange accented with the savoriness of smoked meats follow. These aromas follow suit on the palate along with melon, beeswax, and pine. This is a very lush and chewy mezcal.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Koch el Mezcal Coyote
Distiller Score 96
This Mezcal elicits more than a little bit of excitement even before removing the cork. The nose greets you with ash, cedar, lime zest, gummy bears, and the fresh woody aromas of a broken sapling. It is subtle but it lingers on the palate. Pineapple, lemongrass, juniper and candied-orange-peel titillate the senses. Without a doubt, this is a mezcal deserving of your contemplation.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Fidencio Pechuga Mezcal
Distiller Score 89
You can really smell the fruits used in this pechuga, the guava and pineapple being the most prominent. It all culminates on the palate in an oddly gin-like profile with the addition of white flower and pine notes. The celebration of the harvest really shines in this mezcal.
Reviewed by Omari Wheat
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Don Amado Pechuga Mezcal
Distiller Score 94
The aromas explode with displays of fruit, clove, cinnamon, AGAVE, walnuts, and a host of other subtleties. The flavors are impeccably distributed and balanced. Every aspect of your palate experiences a different flavor and every sip shows something new. This is a highly-sippable, complex and yet humbly approachable mezcal with a depth of surprises to enjoy.
Reviewed by Forrest Cokely
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Mezcales de Leyenda Puebla
Distiller Score 95
A light campfire smoke marries fantastically with dulce de leche and apple cake aromas in this spirit's fantastic nose. The palate shows more dry and mineral flavors with a blast of sea salt and brined lemon that carry a delicious savory character. The finish has a pleasant spice note and lingering mango fruit flavors. A very complex sipping mezcal.
Reviewed by John Rankin
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Rey Campero Mexicano Mezcal
Distiller Score 93
Mexicano opens with a light herbal nose reminiscent of freshly cut grass followed by a palate that emphasizes some sweet fruitiness and a degree of restrained smoke. A bit of bite emerges on the long finish that nevertheless reinforces the spirit's overall impression of velvet suavity.
Reviewed by Ron Bechtol
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Del Maguey San Pablo Ameyaltepec
Distiller Score 92
The spirit enters the room as a woman of a certain age trailing floral notes (tuberose, no less) over an animalic agave base; she's followed by her escort exuding the merest whiffs of expensive cigar smoke. On the palate, a more domestic side emerges, bolstered by dried fruits (especially pear), and accented by pepper and gingery spice. On exiting, some spice and faint traces of smoke linger in her wake.
Reviewed by Ron Bechtol
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Wahaka Mezcal Joven Madre Cuishe
Distiller Score 95
Fruity and herbaceous on the nose, with lime and agave notes standing out. There is a noticeable minerality, umami and earthiness as well as notes of white pepper and grilled pineapple which the warmer temperatures and drier conditions of the volcanic terrain seem to have brought out in the mezcal. The dry, medium finish shows hints of grass and citrus.
Reviewed by Daniel Djang