Reviews / Erstwhile Tobalá
Review · · by The Editors
Erstwhile Tobalá
Standard tobalá at 44% – the proof undersells the agave, which is the range's recurring pattern
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Erstwhile Mezcal
- Maestro: Juan Hernández Méndez
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tobala
- ABV: 44%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Skip this if you can stretch to the ancestral, the standard Erstwhile tobalá is a fine introduction to the agave, but it sits in a range where Banhez Tobalá and Vago's Elote arrive at similar money with more to say. A legitimate bottle that is explicitly not the producer's best. Consensus 3.5 matches; the shelf math argues for moving up.
44% tobalá is the commercial compromise the category keeps running into
Tasting notes
Nose: Wildflower, then sweet smoke, ripe citrus, a faint honey high note
Palate: The aromatics are there, but the texture thins out where a higher-proof tobalá would hold; aromatic at 44%
Finish: Floral, clean, with a slow honey fade
The bottom line
The ancestral Erstwhile tobalá instead
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.
- Old Town Tequila
- Flaviar – $97.99