Espada Pequeña Espadin

Verdict

The agave is present structurally, not aromatically. Espada Pequeña is a Benevá Tlacolula release that doesn't clear the category's basic seriousness bar – 40% proof plus shortcut production is what distribution-first pricing buys. Skip. Vida is meaningfully better for less money and has a legitimate reason to be on a bar shelf.

Tasting notes

Nose: Sharp alcohol, then faint cooked agave, acetone, a chemical sweetness that sits as poorly-managed fermentation or shortcut distillation

Palate: Thin and hot. At 40%, commercial production without redeeming discipline. The bottle drinks like mezcal only in the sense that it's made from agave; every production choice seems to have been made to hit a price point rather than to produce a legitimate expression of the category

Finish: Bitter, slightly burning, with a chemical aftertaste. Short

The bottom line

A skip