Rating: 16/23 I tried this early on in my spirits adventures and I hated it. Time to give it another chance. N: Super earthy. Lot of dust from the trail, leading into some occasional sweet, watery herbal notes - like pieces of cactus - and also a little bit of something more herbal (but faint) leading into the restrained smoke. There's a dash of spices - like turmeric with a hint of cinnamon. P: The palate is a lot tarter than I'd expected with a big spiciness and also a lot of mint. There's some dustiness and smoke, but most of what hits me is lemon, a little vinegar, spice, and mint. The mint grows in comparison to the tartness and sort of a little malty sweetness with river water starts coming in. F: The mintiness, smokiness, river water sweetness, and a little tartness remain. It's a bold finish for sure. Some faint vegetal and herbal elements sneak in too. - Continued - This is super challenging. It really doesn't cohere well and it emphasized what are normally accent notes as core flavors. It's interesting, but I like it. Del Maguey Chichicapa is more generally appealing, whereas this is an intriguing challenge. I don't really think I'd like to have a bottle of this, which to me is a serious mark against it. This is tough. I'm considering anything in the 15 to 18 range here. This is certainly no Del Maguey Arroqueno. I like the Chichicapa better too, but not by a big margin. This is very different from Los Vecinos Espadin, but I think the quality is similar, so I'm going with a 16.
About this bottle
This 100% tobalá agave mezcal produced in the state of Oaxaca. The tobalá maguey is found growing wild in the highest altitude canyons in the rocky soil beneath oak trees. It is smaller and broader leafed than the other agave used for mezcal and takes about eight tobalá piñas (agave hearts) to equal one piña from the more commonly propagated and cultivated magueys. Produced in the traditional manner by open-vat fermentation, adding the fibers along with the fermented juice (agaumiel) to the copper pot-still. This mezcal is unaged and bottled at 94 proof.
How it tastes
Measured across 14 flavor axes. Tap a note to find other bottles that lead with it.
Reviews
Showing the most detailed of 16 parsed reviews.
The nose starts with a nice vegetal smoky blast followed by blue cheese crumbles then fruits of mango, papaya and Bosc pear before transitioning to veggies of charcoal grilled portobello and fried yucca root then floral notes along with aloe vera, black pepper, clay minerality and vanilla with medium ethanol burn. The taste is a medium mouthfeel that starts with fresh lime wedge followed by moderate vegetal smoke then blue cheese crumbles, fruits of salted mango, papaya and Bosc pear before a medium spice that fades to veggies of charcoal grilled portobello and fried yucca root then floral notes along with eucalyptus, black pepper, clay minerality and soft vanilla with medium ethanol burn. The finish is long with moderate smoke coming from a fresh lit Padron cigar, flint minerals, eucalyptus, salted mango, vanilla meringue and lime. This is a very enjoyable pour that has an incredible nose that manages to perfectly balance fruits, cooked vegetables, funky cheese, florals and earthy minerality together that I could get lost smelling for hours that carries over to the taste but the balance is slightly off with a medium drying spice on the mid-palate that fades before the long-balanced finish of smoke, earthy minerality, citrus and soft vanilla that lingers for minutes. A huge thanks to @ctbeck11 for the generous sample.
An intense, Single Village Mezcal by Del Maguey Distillery NOM-O41X in Mexico - Vino De Mezcal Series. Handcrafted in the mountainous, tropical Santa Maria Albarradas, Oaxaca with Agave: Tobala, a high altitude, wild growing agave, roasted for 30 days, fermented for 6-8 days with local spring water & then aged in oak. It has an intense birth with floral, agave, fruit & smoke notes; while a rich & creamy life adds hints of pineapple, mango & cinnamon; that led to a long & balanced death with hints of salinity, tropical fruits & caramel. April / May 2019 / January 2022
Third mezcal in a Del Maguey tasting. Nose: more muted than the others, farmyard, vegetal, touch of smoke too? Taste: Sweet oily arrival that turns dry, vegetal, spicy, peppery. Overall, it’s interesting and best of the night. But I would not seek out a bottle or another drink at a bar. I don’t think mezcal is my thing, which is fine – the whiskey rabbit hole is deep enough.
The nose has a soapy quality that is accentuated if the mezcal is chilled. The smoke is there, but it is lighter than other examples. I get lime, tropical fruit, and clay pots. The body is lighter than several other Del Maguey mezcals, but still heavy in comparison to El Jolgorio offerings.
Richer and smokier than the espadin especial, but still tastes medicinal due to the citrus and menthol. Varies from start to finish and the finish isn't bad, but I don't love it. Has an overpowering brine taste.
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