Agua del Sol Espadin / Coyote / Cuishe / Barril

Item: Agua del Sol Espadin / Coyote / Cuishe / Barril
Rating: 3.5
Author: The Editors

Four-agave ensamble from Berta Vásquez – too many conversations at once

Score: 3.5/5 agaves

Producer: Agua del Sol
Maestro: Berta Vasquez
Region: San Baltazar Chichicapam, Oaxaca
Agave: Barril, Coyote, Cuishe, Espadin
ABV: 46%
Price: $40–90 ($$)

Verdict

The pattern holds: four-agave ensambles are harder than the bottles suggest. Espadín-coyote-cuishe-barril at 46% asks four different agaves to share one proof spine, and even Berta Vásquez's discipline can't fully unify them – the coyote component especially gets crowded out by the three karwinskii-family members. Berta's single-agave bottles outperform this blend. A useful study bottle on the structural limits of four-agave ensambles.

Four agaves is where ensambles test their limits

Tasting notes

Nose: Dark fruit walks in first, then green pepper, cooked agave, mineral damp

Palate: Dense at 46% but the four agaves don't resolve cleanly

Finish: Warm, slightly muddled

The bottom line

Berta's single-agave bottles outperform this blend