Reviews / 5 Sentidos Marteño con Espadin
Review · · by The Editors
5 Sentidos Marteño con Espadin
Marteño with espadín from the Minas clay-pot axis – a sleeper you haven't heard of
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: 5 Sentidos
- Maestro: Eduardo "Lalo" Barriga, Pedro Hernandez
- Region: Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin, Marteño
- ABV: 47.6%
- Price: $155 ($)
Verdict
Marteño doesn't appear often enough and when it does it's frequently overshadowed. Hernández and Barriga running the agave through Minas ollas gives it room to show, the 47.6% proof is well-chosen, the blend coheres, and the result is a bottle worth the small premium over a standard espadín ensamble. Compared with a Vago marteño release, this runs heavier and more chocolaty.
Marteño is arroqueño's rarer, spicier cousin, and Minas clay knows what to do with it
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave, then wet earth, chocolate nib, faint anise
Palate: Marteño is a large, savory agave in the tequilana family; here it grounds the espadín in a way similar to arroqueño but with a slightly different spice profile. At 47.6% the blend is structured but not heavy
Finish: Earthy, warm. Stays long
The bottom line
Buy it. An underappreciated agave handled correctly