Maltoro Tepextate

Verdict

Commercial ABV on a specialty agave is the clearest signal a brand is putting price-point before category, and Maltoro's tepextate at 40% is a clear case. At this proof the marmorata cannot do what it needs to do. Skip. Buy any of the Maguey Melate tepextate bottles at 45-48% instead – all of them drink like tepextate.

Tasting notes

Nose: Faint floral, then soft cooked melon, quiet mineral

Palate: 40% is nowhere near tepextate's 48% floor – the marmorata florals are mostly absent, the bottle sits as a sweetened mezcal with tepextate on the label

Finish: Soft, vanishing – short

The bottom line

Skip. A tepextate that isn't tepextate