5 Sentidos Espadin Capon de Cuero

Verdict

The 'de cuero' treatment, resting in animal-hide containers – is a tradition that can easily go wrong; Martinez uses it with restraint so it reads as a subtle leather note rather than a gimmick. One consensus review at 3.5 undersells this; the proof alone earns a half-step up. Compared with a Mal Bien capón or a Cuentacuentos release, this is more savage and more particular. That particularity is reason enough to seek a bottle.

Tasting notes

Nose: Roasted pineapple, then charred husk, wet stone, faint mint

Palate: Capón espadín (harvested after the quiote is cut, so sugars concentrate) already overdelivers; Alberto Martinez's clay-pot rig at 56.2% turns the concentration into something almost aggressive in the best sense, with the cured-leather note unique to the 'de cuero' treatment

Finish: Warming, lightly smoky

The bottom line

Go looking. A capón-plus-leather combination you won't find elsewhere at this proof