Maguey Melate Israel Petronilo Apolinar Sacatoro, 48% ABV, Lote ISR-SAC-001
Cream cheese and fruit salad. Lovely watermelon, cantaloupe, creamy sweetness and faint celery salt on the nose. Sweet on the palate – Twizzlers candy, red berry, pepper and some light minerality. Hint of ash smoke, cantaloupe remains. Long peppery finish. Delicious and unique. 6/10
Maguey Melate Victor & Emmanuel Ramos Tequilana, 48.8% ABV, Lote RAM-TEQ-001
Bright, earthy, smoky and crisp. Cream cheese frosting, Elmer’s glue and light ash on the nose. Sweet on the palate, with lovely notes of lime, lemon curd, honey, some faint woodiness and a long, smoked pineapple presence on the back palate. Long finish that’s fruity, lightly sweet and intensely agave forward. Lovely! Well done! 8/10
Maguey Melate Semei Garcia Ramos Arroqueno 2019, 46.4% ABV, Lote SEM-ARR-002
The second batch of Semei’s Arroqueno produced for Maguey Melate.
Powerful and fun, this is oh so reminiscent of a patch batch I love so much. Cashew, honey, butter cream, confectioners sugar and a little bit of lemon. Less grassy and vegetal, but the cream cheese frosting and sweet fruit notes are present. Burnt sugar on the palate, light red berry, pepper and some faint clay. Long sweet finish that’s creamy, earthy and packed full of white pepper and red vine licorice candies.
A marked improvement over an already incredible batch. 9/10
Maguey Melate Jose Jaime Morales Aquino Plum Ciruela, 45% ABV, Lote JAI, PLU-001
Vibrantly fruit forward on the nose – the plum is unmistakeable. Crisp apple, pear, plum and honey. It’s bright – spritely even. Sweet on the palate. Thin mouthfeel that’s crisp, fun and really “pops”. Long finish with a touch of pepper, honey, plum and pith and a faint clay must. 7/10
NETA Primitivo Vasquez Vasquez Madrecuixe Bicuixe Ensamble, 45% ABV, ENSPMV2004
Fantastic nose – bright, crisp, creamy and loaded with novel notes like cotton candy, berry, rock candy and bright apple. Sweet on the palate, a hint of celery before cream sweetness, vanilla bean, confectioners sugar and blueberry take hold. Long sweet finish that incorporates some ash, sandalwood, blueberry and faint flan sweetness. Rockstar batch here. 8/10
Mal Bien Ciro & Javier Barranca Papalote, 47.3% ABV, Unlisted Batch
Hello string bean – big fresh green vegetable notes here. Light pepper as well, hint of varnish, lightly earthy. Sweet on the palate, a focused blast of vanilla bean, light cream sweetness, jalapeño pepper and a touch of string bean. Long pepper finish. A great batch, but not a legendary contender. 6/10