Reviews / 5 Sentidos Espadilla
Review · · by The Editors
5 Sentidos Espadilla
Amando Alvarez on espadilla, out of Santa María Ixcatlán – a Oaxacan mountain agave at honest proof
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: 5 Sentidos
- Maestro: Amando Alvarez
- Region: Santa María Ixcatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadilla
- ABV: 45.74%
- Price: $64 ($)
Verdict
Alvarez and his Ixcatlán work are one of the quieter revelations in the 5 Sentidos catalog – the village sits in a high arid corner of the state where the flora shifts and the results taste like it. Compared to a Lalocura agave from nearby territory, this is less polished but more particular. Buy when you see the label.
Ixcatlán doesn't do espadín; espadilla is how the village says no
Tasting notes
Nose: Dry hay up front. Green stone, cooked agave, a thin vein of tobacco underneath
Palate: Espadilla is sometimes confused with espadín – it's not. Ixcatlán's high elevation and Alvarez's clay-pot rig produce something drier and more structural than a typical valley espadín, and 45.74% is just enough proof to carry the weight
Finish: Dry, mineral
The bottom line
Buy it. An underrated single-producer pour