Erstwhile Arroqueño

Item: Erstwhile Arroqueño
Rating: 3.5
Author: The Editors

Arroqueño at 44% – the proof undersells a dense agave, a chronic category failure mode

Score: 3.5/5 agaves

Producer: Erstwhile Mezcal
Maestro: Juan Hernández Méndez
Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
Agave: Arroqueño
ABV: 44%
Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

Pour this as an introduction to arroqueño before you graduate to Rey Campero or Vago – at 44% it's a category-entry bottle, and at 48% the same liquid would be a meaningfully better one. The proof is the ceiling. No consensus on file; our 3.5 reflects a legitimate bottle underselling its own agave by three points.

Arroqueño at 44% is a category compromise that the agave's density can't overcome

Tasting notes

Nose: Dark honey with bay leaf, faint leather

Palate: Medium-bodied at 44%. Arroqueño's weight needs more proof than this bottle gives it; the character shows up attenuated – you hear the agave, but you hear it through a cloth

Finish: Warm, drying, with a slow mineral fade. Long

The bottom line

Del Maguey Arroqueno at 49% is the better spend

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 4 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.