Maguey Melate Tobaziche - Felix Angeles Arellanes

Item: Maguey Melate Tobaziche - Felix Angeles Arellanes
Rating: 4.0
Author: The Editors

Santa Catarina Minas tobaziche, clay-pot and dry-spined

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Producer: Maguey Melate
Maestro: Félix Ángeles Arellanes
Region: Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca
Agave: Tobaziche
ABV: 47.4%
Price: $55 ($$)

Verdict

Santa Catarina Minas is its own country inside Oaxacan mezcal and Félix Ángeles Arellanes's tobaziche wears it openly – the clay-pot dustiness, the karwinskii bitterness, the restraint that the village is famous for. A strong bottle that doesn't ask for attention. Compare alongside Mezcalosfera releases from the same town for a proper sense of Minas style.

The Minas signature, clearly drawn

Tasting notes

Nose: Green herb, then wet earth, cool mineral, quiet smoke

Palate: 47.4% through olla de barro – the tobaziche's karwinskii bite sits clean on clay's river rock bed, grippy mid-palate, dry undercurrent

Finish: Dry, savory

The bottom line

A serious Minas tobaziche

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

Spec's