Reviews / El Destilado Sierra Negra
Review · · by The Editors
El Destilado Sierra Negra
Sierra negra at 49.3%. Another strong El Destilado, and an argument for the under-tasted sierra negra category
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: El Destilado
- Maestro: Alberto Martinez
- Region: Santa Catarina Albarradas, Oaxaca
- Agave: Sierra Negra
- ABV: 49.3%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Sierra negra is under-documented in the category, bottles like this one argue the agave deserves more attention than it gets. El Destilado's single-maestro model provides the careful handling the agave demands at 49.3% proof, and the austere mineral weight lands fully expressed. Buy it next to the Mezcalero No. 15 for the sierra negra comparison across two disciplined producers.
El Destilado's sierra negra is category-defining work for an under-documented agave
Tasting notes
Nose: Warm stone, dark honey, dry herb, mineral damp
Palate: Dense at 49.3%. Sierra negra's signature flinty weight is fully expressed here; the agave's austere register is present without crossing into the outright austerity sierra negra sometimes lands in
Finish: Unending. Drying, flinty, cooling, with a slow honey fade
The bottom line
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