Reviews / Donaji Olla de Barro
Review · · by The Editors
Donaji Olla de Barro
Clay-still espadín at 46%, the Donaji bottle that actually justifies the brand's existence
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Donaji Mezcal
- Maestro: Abel Quiroz
- Region: Sola de Vega, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 46%
- Price: $55 ($)
Verdict
Production disciplined in a way the rest of the Donaji range isn't. Clay-still is the technique that separates producers willing to commit from those who aren't – slow, technically demanding, and the textural payoff (the specific granularity clay stills produce) is legible on the palate. Buy the olla de barro if you're buying Donaji at all; the commercial Donajis aren't worth the shelf.
Clay-still makes the Donaji – and exposes what the rest of the range is missing
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave, hot clay, warm earth, faint smoke, a trace of mineral damp underneath
Palate: Dense at 46%. The olla de barro (clay pot) treatment adds textural weight the commercial Donajis lack – there's a specific granularity that clay stills produce that copper stills don't, and this is the one bottle in the range where the difference is legible
Finish: Warm, stone, with a slow clay-earth fade. Long
The bottom line
The Donaji to actually buy, if you're buying any of them