Sierra Norte Native Oaxacan Black Corn

It tastes young, raw, and grassy; and distinctly Mexican. I've had Mexican cigars and Mexican coffee, and they all share a young, dry grassy aftertaste. The aroma is hay. There's some sweetness on the palate, along with that dry grassy note. If anything... I'd keep it for an educational tasting alongside their yellow corn, some blue corn (like Balocnes or Kinsey), popcorn whiskey from Kinsey, and some standard dent corn whiskey, which I believe is commonly used in bourbon.

The nose presents a lot of tobacco, bitter dark chocolate, and hog feed corn cobs (I've worked on a farm, and those corn cobs are on every corn whiskey I've encountered). There's also an apple cider vinegar note that sounds odd but strangely works. The taste is dominated by bitter dark chocolate, tobacco, and then a sweet note, likely from the barrel. It has a very rich, oily texture. It's a wild ride, recommended if you enjoy outlier/unusual whiskey.

I definitely detect bananas and plantains on the palate, with some almond notes on the finish, which had a good duration. It almost evoked the feeling of tequila, though I'm uncertain if that was a psychological effect. Regardless, it was both enjoyable and interesting, a rare combination for a distillery of this type, in my opinion. (Are you curious? Feel free to reach out.)

Uninviting mezcal nose. I'm not sure why. Funky buttered corn. Plastic. The finish has a redeeming burnt corn note, but it's not enough.

Noticeably spicy and fruity. An incredibly intriguing whiskey.

Very distinctive, but not really to my preference.