Reviews / Mal Bien Papalote - Barranca
Review · · by The Editors
Mal Bien Papalote - Barranca
Chilapa papalote at 50.3%. The Guerrero reference
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Mal Bien
- Maestro: Ciro Barranca, Javier Barranca
- Region: Chilapa de Álvarez, Guerrero
- Agave: Papalote
- ABV: 50.3%
- Price: $70 ($)
Verdict
If you want to know what papalote should taste like, the Barranca brothers' bottle is the one. 50.3% clears the cupreata proof ceiling for real, the wild-harvest character drives without getting feral, and the Guerrero highland signature is unmistakable. This is the bottle we'd put against Rey Campero's papalote and watch the judges argue. Commit.
Papalote with no better version in the category
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked corn, then bright pepper, wildflower, warm earth, limestone
Palate: 50.3% of pure Guerrero cupreata, the Barranca brothers' papalote is the benchmark the category is measured against, dense, floral-savory, and drawn in clean lines
Finish: Warm, mineral-floral, very long
The bottom line
Commit. Papalote reference
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.