How to use blind tasting to train your palate

When experts identify different types of mezcal at a blind tasting, it can feel like a magic trick. But we all have the power to train or palates. Khrys Maxwell shares his expertise.

Fresh from this year’s Mexico in a Bottle Chicago, I decided to revisit an article I wrote right before the world went to hell in a handbasket back in 2020. “Moving the Conversation Forward” is about a little event Mezcalistas and I do called “What’s In Your Mouth,” a blind mezcal tasting where the focus is on flavors that can help you identify the type of agave, production process, state, region, producer, and brand. It’s a deep dive to help train your palate to better understand the contents of your glass.

In that article, I wrote about the why, where, who, and how of agave spirits and tastings. While the “why” and “how” are still relevant, it’s crazy to think about all the changes over the last five years with the growth and popularity of agave distillates.

We usually limit our tasting to six different distillates and serve two or three mezcals at a time so palates do not get blown out. We use vasos veladoras. We give attendees enough time to fill out the form and identify:

Agave (one point)
Cook method (one point)
Distillation style (one point)
Milling style (one point),
State (one point)
Region (half point)
Brand (half point)
Producer (half point)
Tasting notes (no points)

During the tasting, attendees are welcome to use the Internet, tasting wheels, or even talk amongst each other as they fill out their forms. Basically, an open book test.

Throughout the tasting, we also encourage questions and will talk about the production process and how that creates different flavors. While there is no one way to teach people how to identify these specifics, we offer suggestions like how to differentiate between “smoke” and “char” or how a bell pepper note can be a good indicator of the mezcal being made with salmiana.

Mezcalistas The first What’s in Your Mouth Chicago at Charis Listening Bar

At the end of the event, we add up the scores, which are always on the honor system. If there is a tie, we do a run off until we have a winner. So, what does the winner receive? We take all the leftover bottles and make a one of a kind mezcla!! Aside from one mezcla we created in San Diego in 2020, which featured all espadin (it was too similar to big brand well mezcales), these mixes have all been super tasty and special. Definitely a great trophy to have and brag about while sharing with friends!

Mezcalistas Blind tasting winners in Phoenix

How to train your palate

When we first started doing What’s in Your Mouth back in 2018, the attendees were mostly in “the industry” and, more specifically, they had significant time with boots on the ground, visiting or working with producers around Mexico. Walking the land, breathing the air, being hands on with production, and tasting directly from the still is the best education you can get as it allows you to dive deep into the world of agave distillates.

Bottles of agave spirits for a blind mezcal tasting — Mezcalistas What’s in your mouth Phoenix line up in 2024

With the growth of agave distillates, we have seen a lot more participation in our events from folks who are not in the industry. Some may have visited a few distilleries around Mexico, but most of them have not. So the event has evolved and has become more about exposing the attendees to distillates beyond what are more commonly found, debunking misconceptions about certain agaves/distillates/preferences, and introducing people to newer or under looked/appreciated brands.

So how does one identify the parameters of our tasting if they haven’t had boots on the ground? As I noted in my previous article, there is not one specific way of doing so–other than consistent practice. But what does that mean and how exactly do you practice tasting mezcal?

**A few things to note before you begin any tasting practice:

Never wear cologne/perfume. Make sure to taste in an area free of strong aromas.
To ensure a clean palate, don’t consume anything for an hour beforehand.
Always use the same type of glass for all the spirits. We recommend the Chisholm Trail Jarritos HP, Glencairn, INAO wine glass, Riedel tequila glass, or the classic veladora.
Have a notebook ready or consider purchasing a tasting journal.

Getting started

1. Assemble your agave spirits. For starters, three should be from the same region, and three should be the same type of agave.

2. Taste three distillates (no more than a half ounce of each) of the same agave from the same region. Make notes of the similarities. Make notes of the differences. Learn to recognize the familiar traits of each region.

2. Repeat this exercise with different agaves. For example, taste three madrecuishe from different areas.

3. Do the same thing with three distillates from the same producer. Learn to recognize his/her different production and flavor traits.

4. Use the Internet to help you to visually identify the regions, agave, methods, and producers and add any information to your tasting notebook.

5. Taste with other people who enjoy this kind of task. It becomes easier and more fun.

6. Do these kinds of sessions at least twice a week. Just like anything else in life, the more you do it, the better you will get.

7. Lastly, if you have the opportunity, visit a palenque/vinata/taberna/fabrica. Even if you can only visit one place or one producer, it is the best way to understand mezcal. Deeply inhale and smell the air, taste the cooked agave, the fermenting agave, and the mezcal from the stills. Eat the food around and near these producers. Imprint these visuals, aromas, and flavors into your body, mind, and soul.

A final reminder

Enjoy the journey, keep practicing, and remember the target is always moving. These are natural products and, like nature, they are always changing. Not just the agave (the maturity or region of harvest) but also the ambient yeasts will change due to the weather, the flowers and fruits, and other environmental factors. Maybe the certifying body changes the parameters of the physiochemical specifications (as Comercam did a few years back), which forced some producers to modify their production. Maybe the production changes a bit or drastically. The devil really is in the details, and all these factors impact the aroma, flavors, and character of a distillate.

As we continue to do these tastings, we would love to see more individuals, groups, and establishments get involved. Our next events are this fall and we hope to see more people between now and then “pushing the conversation forward.”

Many thanks to the following brands/importers who have graciously donated product to our humble event over the years;