Mal Bien Espadin - Félix Ramírez

Item: Mal Bien Espadin - Félix Ramírez
Rating: 3.5
Author: The Editors

Ejutla espadín – softer-spined than its Cortés cousin

Score: 3.5/5 agaves

Producer: Mal Bien
Maestro: Félix Ramírez Mendez
Region: Ejutla, Oaxaca
Agave: Espadin
ABV: 47%
Price: $55 ($)

Verdict

Félix Ramírez Méndez makes a gentler espadín than the Cortés brothers – same Mal Bien catalog, different village, audibly different bottle. Both are honest releases; this one is what you pour when you want espadín as comfort, not as argument. A good second espadín to own when the first is from Miahuatlán.

Ejutla espadín on its own terms

Tasting notes

Nose: Sweet cooked agave, green herb, warm earth, quiet smoke

Palate: Around 47% with refrescador handling – Félix Ramírez's Ejutla cut reads warmer and rounder than Miahuatlán espadín, a little less structural, pleasantly earthy

Finish: Medium-long, soft, sweet-savory

The bottom line

Pleasant, regional, under-considered