Reviews / Los Ocotales Cirial
Review · · by The Editors
Los Ocotales Cirial
Cirial as a karwinskii masterclass
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Los Ocotales Mezcal
- Maestro: Adolfo Santiago
- Region: San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca
- Agave: Cirial
- ABV: 46%
- Price: $75 ($$)
Verdict
Cirial is an agave whose character disappears at low proof and collapses at bad execution, and Los Ocotales' bottling is a quiet argument for why producers at this scale exist. At 46% the karwinskii reads cleanly and the mineral spine holds the palate up. Compare it to Real Minero's cirial work, different hand, similar commitment.
Cirial with the producer's hand visible in all the right ways
Tasting notes
Nose: Crushed green pepper with dry mint, a flint lift
Palate: 46% sets the cirial's vegetal karwinskii signature cleanly at the front, and the liquid carries a mineral seriousness that separates Los Ocotales' work from middle-shelf cirial. Disciplined, alive
Finish: Drying, herbal – long
The bottom line
Reference-caliber cirial. Buy it
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.