Reviews / Maguey Melate Tobala w/ Apples
Review · · by The Editors
Maguey Melate Tobala w/ Apples
Puebla tobalá with apples – a destilado that holds the agave together
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Maguey Melate
- Maestro: Maria Alicia Alva Sanchez
- Region: San Nicolás Huajuapan, Puebla
- Agave: Tobala
- ABV: 50.2%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Fruit distillations are usually either lovely curiosities or apologies for a weak base, and María Alicia Alva Sánchez's tobalá-with-apples lands on the right side of that line, the potatorum is still the engine, the apples are a counterpoint. Not the tobalá we'd hand someone for a first lesson, but a genuine drink. Honor the maestra and pour it slow.
A destilado that doesn't erase the tobalá under it
Tasting notes
Nose: Baked apple, then honey, wildflower, cinnamon, warm stone
Palate: 50.2% and the apples read as a layer rather than a disguise, the tobalá backbone is legible, the fruit sweet without sugary, the Puebla mineral character still there
Finish: Sweet-tart, warming. Stays long
The bottom line
A destilado de manzana that respects its agave