Los Javis Tepeztate

Verdict

Tepextate is an agave where the proof ceiling and floor are both unusually consequential – under 48% the bottle tends to read as a sketch of the real thing. Los Javis' version is on the wrong side of that number. The agave is there, but the textured, menthol-forward expression that makes tepextate worth its price tag is muted. Trade up to Mezcalosfera or Real Minero tepextate; this one undersells the agave.

Tasting notes

Nose: Wild herb, then pine, menthol, a cool mineral note

Palate: The marmorata signature is recognizable but compressed – 47% is the bottom of tepextate's working range and the bottle shows it. The aromatic altitude that separates great tepextate from average tepextate isn't fully present

Finish: Cooling, lightly herbal

The bottom line

Underproofed for the agave. Look elsewhere