Reviews / Los Ocotales Tepeztate
Review · · by The Editors
Los Ocotales Tepeztate
Tepextate as a high-register study
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Los Ocotales Mezcal
- Maestro: Adolfo Santiago
- Region: San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 45%
- Price: $90 ($$)
Verdict
Tepextate at 45% is the lowest proof we'd accept from a serious producer, and Los Ocotales is a serious producer, the bottle earns the grade on production discipline and aromatic range. At 47-48% this would be a reference bottle; at 45% it's still one of the better tepextates on a typical shelf. Commit, with a note: if Los Ocotales ever ships this at 48%, we grade higher.
Tepextate on the lower edge of its working range
Tasting notes
Nose: Cool menthol, then crushed mint, wild herb, green stone
Palate: 45% is the floor for tepextate – Los Ocotales sits right at it, and the aromatic altitude is present but stretched. The bottle reads serious despite the ABV being lower than we'd ideally want for the agave
Finish: Cooling, herbal
The bottom line
A strong tepextate. The 45% leaves runway on the table