Reviews / Cinco Sentidos Ticuchi con Espadilla
Review · · by The Editors
Cinco Sentidos Ticuchi con Espadilla
Ticuchi plus espadilla – a niche Ixcatlán ensamble that reads quieter than the sum suggests
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: 5 Sentidos
- Maestro: Amando Alvarez
- Region: Santa María Ixcatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadilla, Ticuchi
- ABV: 44.9%
- Price: $138 ($)
Verdict
Alvarez is a producer we respect and this ensamble is legitimately made, it just lives below the proof threshold where both agaves do their real work. Two consensus ratings at 4.0 runs optimistic. Compared with a Lalocura or Mezcalosfera Mixteca release at similar price, this is noticeably softer and less committed. Skip it and buy his straight papalometl first.
Two dry Mixteca agaves at 44.9% is a lot of restraint in one bottle
Tasting notes
Nose: Dry hay, then chalk, cooked agave, faint citrus
Palate: At 44.9% both agaves struggle to fully express, ticuchi is a small Mixteca variant that rewards proof, and espadilla likewise needs elevation. Clean work from Alvarez; the ABV is the bottleneck
Finish: Dry, mineral, medium
The bottom line
Pass. Alvarez's straight papalometl and espadilla are stronger picks