Reviews / Espina Negra Espadin
Review · · by The Editors
Espina Negra Espadin
Espina Negra's entry espadín at 45% – commercial-adjacent production at honest proof
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Espina Negra Mezcal
- Maestro: Honorato Cruz Molina, Mayolo Cruz, Roque Cruz Molina
- Region: Santa Ana, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 45%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
Pour this when you want a mid-tier espadín that doesn't overreach – Espina Negra's bottle hits as quietly competent, no aromatic pyrotechnics and no structural misfires. Pitched against Fidencio Clásico it holds its ground at similar money. A credible category-floor bottle with nothing to apologize for, consensus 3.6 is fair.
Commercial-adjacent but honestly made and correctly priced
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave, then warm stone, faint smoke, green apple, a trace of cooked sugar
Palate: Clean at 45% – standard Matatlán-family character, no surprises either way. Proof is right at the category floor for sipping rather than cocktails, which is the right decision for a bottle trying to clear the shelf-friendly bar without dropping below it
Finish: Dry, with a faint smoke fade
The bottom line
Fine as a cocktail-and-sipping house bottle