Reviews / Maguey Melate Espadin de 1999

Review · · by The Editors

Maguey Melate Espadin de 1999

Toribio Guendelain's 1999 espadín – distilled before most of its audience was drinking

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Maguey Melate Espadin de 1999 bottle
  • Producer: Maguey Melate
  • Maestro: Toribio Guendelain Jiminez
  • Region: San Luis Amatlan, Oaxaca
  • Agave: Espadin
  • ABV: 51%
  • Price: $70 ($)

Verdict

Honor Toribio Guendelain Jiminez by name: this was distilled in March 1999, glass-rested, and it drinks like a bottle that has made its peace with time. Hunt it for the history as much as the liquid – closer to what Lalocura or Mezcalosfera vintage releases promise than any modern bottling. A time-capsule bottle. Commit if you see it.

Espadín from 1999 – a bottle older than most drinkers know to ask for

Tasting notes

Nose: Warm honey, old wood, dried fruit, faint leather

Palate: Distilled by Agustin's father Toribio Guendelain Jiminez in March 1999 at 51% – this espadín has been resting in glass for a quarter century. The palate reads softened, deepened, not decayed

Finish: Warming, soft

The bottom line

Vintage espadín with history in the glass. Hunt it

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