Reviews / La Niña del Mezcal Bacanora
Review · · by The Editors
La Niña del Mezcal Bacanora
Sonoran pacifica at 48%. Bacanora under a mezcal label, which is a conversation
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: La Niña del Mezcal
- Region: Sonora
- Agave: Pacifica
- ABV: 48%
- Price: $55 ($)
Verdict
La Niña's Sonoran pacifica is effectively bacanora in a mezcal suit, the state-of-origin is doing more work than the species designation, and that's fine if you know what you're buying. Judged as bacanora it's solid mid-category; judged as mezcal it's an outlier that expands the house catalog usefully. Cielo Rojo and Aguamiel both do the same category trick. Consensus 3.8 tracks.
A bacanora doing the category courtesy of being labeled honestly
Tasting notes
Nose: Dry desert herb, then cooked agave, mineral dust, a trace of creosote
Palate: Lean and desert-dry at 48%. Pacifica (angustifolia's northern cousin) runs sharper than Oaxacan espadín; the Sonoran-style distillation brings a chalkier, drier profile that doesn't pretend to be mezcal de Oaxaca
Finish: Dry, dusty, clean close. Medium
The bottom line
Buy if you want a desert-style spirit without the bacanora markup