Reviews / Madre Espadin
Review · · by The Editors
Madre Espadin
The bottle Madre puts on restaurant lists – and the reason to skip it
Score: 2.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Madre Mezcal
- Maestro: Carlos Mendez Blas
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Espadin
- ABV: 40%
- Price: $39 ($)
Verdict
Madre Espadín is what you order when the mezcal list is one bottle long. Carlos Mendez Blas is a capable producer; the entry price and 40% proof are a commercial compromise, not an artistic one. Skip toward the Ancestral bottlings on the same shelf, or toward Banhez at half the price and 45% proof.
40% is the commercial ABV tell – skip unless it's the only option on the list
Tasting notes
Nose: Faint smoke with vanilla, a watery top
Palate: At 40% the espadín's cooked-agave backbone is there but diluted – Carlos Mendez Blas can do better, and the entry-price math is fighting him. The finish thins noticeably
Finish: Sweet, gone – short
The bottom line
A category-filler. Almost anything else is a better pick
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 3 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.
- Total Wine – $35.99
- Old Town Tequila – $32.99
- Caskers – $43.99