Reviews / Chacolo Azul

Review · · by The Editors

Chacolo Azul

A Jalisco angustifolia the locals call azul, distilled the old Zapotitlán way by Macario Partida

Score: 4.5/5 agaves

Chacolo Azul bottle
  • Producer: Chacolo
  • Maestro: Macario Partida
  • Region: Zapotitlan de Vadillo, Jalisco
  • Agave: Azul
  • ABV: 49.66%
  • Price: $105 ($$)

Verdict

Jalisco sits outside the mezcal and tequila denominations, so Chacolo bottles this as destilado de agave, using a local angustifolia the growers call azul (not the blue agave of tequila). Macario Partida distills it rustic in Zapotitlán de Vadillo, all saline minerality and cooked-agave depth. Pour it next to a Real Minero or a Bozal to hear how different western Mexico sounds from Oaxaca.

The old Jalisco style, mineral and unsweet

Tasting notes

Nose: Cooked agave, green olive, wet stone, citrus zest, a savory smoke

Palate: Bright and saline at 49.66%. A native Jalisco angustifolia, nothing to do with tequila's blue agave, distilled rustic at the foot of the Volcán de Colima, mineral and savory rather than sweet

Finish: Long, citric, dry, faintly smoky

The bottom line

Buy it for the western-Mexico agave education

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