Maguey Melate Arroqueño / Madre Cuixe / Bicuixe

Verdict

Three-agave ensambles need a producer willing to subordinate components, and this batch hits like three stars all wanting the lead. Agustin Guendulain Maya has stronger solo bottles in the Melate catalog, skip this and reach for his cucharillo instead, which lets his hand show without the blend-committee problem.

Tasting notes

Nose: Roasted agave, green pepper, wet earth, dried apricot

Palate: The 40% arroqueño leans heavy, the karwinskii halves try to lift it, and at 48.1% through copper plus refrescador the result is dense but unfocused. Agustin makes better single-agave bottles than blends

Finish: Drying, a late hit of herbs. Stays medium-long

The bottom line

Cluttered. The Guendulain cucharillo is the better pick