Reviews / El Buho Especial Mango
Review · · by The Editors
El Buho Especial Mango
Mango-distilled especial – fruit infusion that works because it's distilled, not added
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: El Buho Mezcal
- Maestro: Octavio Jiménez Monterroza
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 48%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
Distillation-with-fruit versus infusion-after-distillation is the specific technique decision that determines whether infused mezcal works as its own category or reads as novelty. El Buho's mango version stays in the first category, the fruit lifts the bottle rather than flavoring it. Buy it for the format done right; skip the post-distillation fruit infusions that gave the category its gimmick reputation.
Fruit-infused mezcal done carefully keeps the mezcal in the foreground
Tasting notes
Nose: Ripe mango, cooked agave, warm spice
Palate: Balanced at 48%. The mango reads as a ripened, cooked-fruit accent rather than as sweetness, which is the difference between distilling with fruit (where it contributes aromatics and texture) and adding fruit syrup (where it contributes sugar)
Finish: Fruited, warm, with a slow spice fade, long
The bottom line
A specialty pick for drinkers who want the format done right
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 3 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.