Del Maguey Chichicapa Mezcal

The nose starts with a mix of earthy and metallic notes followed by moderate smoke along with grilled veggies of green bell pepper and Portobello mushrooms then fruits of fresh squeezed lime juice and charred pineapple with light ethanol burn. The taste is medium mouthfeel starting with lime and pineapple fruits then olive oil covered grilled skewers of chicken, bell pepper, red onion, and button mushrooms followed by bitter smoky ashy clay earth notes with medium ethanol burn. The finish is medium length with kaffir lime leaves, black pepper, ashy earthy smoke, dark chocolate and charred orange. This is a very enjoyable mezcal that has a balanced nose combining earthy, smoky, vegetal and citrus notes that carries over to palate with a meaty note that turns bitter on the mid-palate and finishes with a bitter ashy note along with citrus and smoke. Side by side with the Tobala, the Tobala is more floral with a lighter smoke and earth element whereas the Chichicapa leans heavier on those earthy and smoky notes. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.

Smoke, tar, pepper, oil. Not an easy drink, but fascinating.

Very smoky, strong, lingering spicyness like pepper. Would be a great sipper with the great smoke finish.

Been sipping on this for a few weeks and struggling to find an accurate way to review it. This is my first mezcal, and as usual, decided on it based on community recommendations. I’ll start by saying that it’s good and I’m enjoying it. There’s more smoke than agave on the nose. It’s a soft smoke, a bit fruity. Think more speyside peat rather than Laphroaig. It’s fruity and coating on the palate. I get pineapple, Chile peppers, raw green bean, and some olive oil. Finish brings menthol and a warming finish. Very nice. I struggled scoring this. I like it and respect it’s craftsmanship, but I don’t love it. I’ll finish the bottle, but I much prefer a nice sipping tequila. Despite being both agave spirits, this is a long way from a blanco tequila. Certainly try this and expand your palate. Not one for me long-term though. Cheers all.