Reviews / 5 Sentidos Jabali
Review · · by The Editors
5 Sentidos Jabali
Jabalí the agave that eats distillers' nerves – Martinez's version never flinches
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: 5 Sentidos
- Maestro: Alberto Martinez
- Region: Santa Catarina Albarradas, Oaxaca
- Agave: Jabali
- ABV: 47.1%
- Price: $130 ($$)
Verdict
Sixteen consensus ratings at 4.4 speaks for itself and we agree, this is one of the two or three reference jabalís you can still buy at a roughly reasonable price. Compared to Real Minero's jabalí or a Koch release, this is more savage and more aromatic; compared to most commercial jabalí attempts, it's an object lesson. The proof could sit a hair higher (jabalí rewards 48%+ in our tasting notes) but the liquid still wins.
Jabalí is the agave that tests whether you can actually distill
Tasting notes
Nose: Tropical fruit, then wet moss, cocoa nib, a flick of black pepper
Palate: Jabalí foams during fermentation and is the category's most technically demanding agave; Martinez's clay-pot rig at 47.1% lands the liquid with the signature jabalí aromatics fully intact and no cooked-off notes
Finish: Warm, gently peppery. Long
The bottom line
Track it down. A reference-level jabalí from one of the best clay-pot palenques