Reviews / Del Maguey San Luis del Rio Azul
Review · · by The Editors
Del Maguey San Luis del Rio Azul
Azul (tequilana) in mezcal form – the blue agave rarely bottled outside Jalisco
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Del Maguey Mezcal
- Maestro: Marcos Cruz Mendez, Paciano Cruz Nolasco
- Region: San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca
- Agave: Azul
- ABV: 47%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Del Maguey's Azul is the quiet argument that the mezcal/tequila distinction is more a legal matter than a flavor one. Tequilana under Oaxacan methods at 47% comes through as a third thing. Buy this as a conversation piece – it won't replace your espadín or your tequila, but it complicates both. The Del Maguey catalog's most intellectually useful bottle.
Blue agave in mezcal form – a quiet rebuttal to the category divide
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave, white pepper, a citrus brightness
Palate: Tequilana (blue agave) at 47% in San Luis del Rio – Marcos Cruz Mendez and Paciano Cruz Nolasco work the tequila agave under mezcal methods, and the result is cleaner than tequila, more subdued than espadín
Finish: Clean, faintly peppery – medium-long
The bottom line
The pick for the category-boundary question; it delivers
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 4 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.