Reviews / El Samaritano Tobala
Review · · by The Editors
El Samaritano Tobala
Tobalá at 40%. Below the agave's structural floor, and it shows
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: El Samaritano Mezcal
- Maestro: Ambrosio Martinez Blas
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tobala
- ABV: 40%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
The producer clearly knows better, the 45-47% wild agaves elsewhere in the range prove it. This tobalá is the distribution-tier sacrifice, bottled below the proof the agave needs to subsidize the range's specialty releases. Skip; Banhez Tobalá at less money delivers more of the agave.
Tobalá at 40% is a category compromise that can't be rescued by production
Tasting notes
Nose: Wildflower, faint smoke
Palate: Thin-bodied at 40%. Tobalá at this proof is a marketing bottle, the aromatics are present but dilute, the mid-palate evaporates, and the texture is closer to commercial espadín than to wild agave
Finish: With a faint floral fade – short
The bottom line
A skip