Reviews / El Samaritano Tepeztate
Review ·
El Samaritano Tepeztate
Tepextate at 45%. Respectable if unambitious, and proof-limited in the category's usual way
Score: 3.0/5 agaves
- Producer: El Samaritano Mezcal
- Maestro: Ambrosio Martinez Blas
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 45%
- Price: $115 ($$$)
Verdict
Fine as a category introduction, short of what the agave can do. Another mid-tier tepextate bottled below the 48% floor the variety actually needs. Buy Dos Pasiones or Buen Camino tepextate for about the same price for the agave rendered seriously; El Samaritano's version is the working introduction, not the destination.
Tepextate at 45% is a commercial compromise the whole category runs into
Tasting notes
Nose: Leads with wildflower. Wet stone, a faint herbal high note, dry hay underneath
Palate: Medium at 45%. Tepextate's 25-year agronomy deserves more proof than 45% can deliver; the character holds but never fully lands, and the producer's competent handling doesn't quite overcome the structural cap
Finish: Cooling, with a slow floral fade – long
The bottom line
Fine for category exposure
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.
- Old Town Tequila – $115
- Spec's
Price check: $115 (2026-07-29).