Reviews / La Maliciosa Ensamble
Review · · by The Editors
La Maliciosa Ensamble
Four-agave Matatlán ensamble – Celso at full range
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: La Maliciosa Mezcal
- Maestro: Celso Martínez López
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Arroqueño, Espadin, Mexicano, Tobala
- ABV: 48%
- Price: $55 ($$)
Verdict
No consensus score here, so our read: La Maliciosa's four-agave ensamble is a serious Matatlán blend at 48%, with arroqueño giving it more spine than most espadín-forward ensambles. Not quite at the level of the Gusto Histórico four-agaves above, but a credible La Jicarita-adjacent release from the same producer. Buy for a dense ensamble at a sensible price.
An ensamble where the arroqueño does the heavy lifting
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked agave, dark cocoa, green wood, warm pepper
Palate: 48% – Celso Martínez López's arroqueño-espadín-mexicano-tobalá ensamble layers darker agaves onto the espadín base; the arroqueño gives the bottle its weight, the tobalá its lift
Finish: Warm, mineral, long
The bottom line
The pick for a dense Matatlán ensamble