Casa Manglar Tobala

Item: Casa Manglar Tobala
Rating: 2.5
Author: The Editors

Casa Manglar tobalá at 45%. The range's best, and that's the problem

Score: 2.5/5 agaves

Producer: Casa Manglar Mezcal
Maestro: Humberto Juan
Region: San Juan del Rio, Oaxaca
Agave: Tobala
ABV: 45%
Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

A disappointing tobalá. Casa Manglar's range scores consistently low across our catalog, the producer's wild-agave bottles read as brand names attached to inadequate base production. At 45% tobalá needs more structural support, and Casa Manglar's hand doesn't compensate with discipline. The tobalá is the range's best, which says more about the rest of the lineup than this bottle. Consensus 3.4 is generous; we score 2.5. Buy a Del Maguey or Banhez tobalá instead.

Tobalá needs real proof

Tasting notes

Nose: Faint wildflower. Then cooked agave, soft smoke

Palate: Thin for tobalá at 45% – the proof and base undersell the agave

Finish: Floral, clean – medium

The bottom line

Buy a Del Maguey or Banhez tobalá instead