Reviews / Del Maguey VIDA Clásico
Review · · by The Editors
Del Maguey VIDA Clásico
The bartender's workhorse – dismissed by sippers, defended by anyone who's ever built a cocktail program
Score: 3.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Del Maguey Mezcal
- Maestro: Marcos Cruz Mendez, Paciano Cruz Nolasco
- Region: San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 42%
- Price: $38 ($)
Verdict
The consensus of 2.8 is wrong, or at least misreading what the bottle is for. Vida is not a sipping mezcal and it has never pretended to be – it's the most honestly-priced bar-well mezcal the category has, and it built modern cocktail mezcal almost single-handed. Judged against that, it's a solid bottle.
Vida is what happens when mezcal has to cross a bar-well threshold and survive
Tasting notes
Nose: Campfire smoke up front, green banana, a little acetone on a warm pour
Palate: Bright, a touch thin, with sweet agave under the smoke. Less refined than the rest of the Del Maguey range
Finish: Peppery, clean – short
The bottom line
Underrated as a category workhorse. Overrated as a sipper
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 5 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.
- Total Wine – $37.99
- Binny's – $32.99
- Astor Wines
- Hi-Time Wine
- Old Town Tequila