Maria Dolores Abocado con Gusano

Verdict

Gusano-infused mezcales are a legitimate Oaxacan tradition and there are serious producers (Real Minero, for one) making abocados that earn the form. María Dolores Juan Diego Mendez Gomez's bottle at 40% is the other kind, a commercial-ABV espadín dressed up with worm, sold on novelty rather than craft. Skip and reach for a serious abocado.

Tasting notes

Nose: Cooked agave, faint worm oil, quiet smoke

Palate: 40% of Matatlán espadín infused with gusano worm, the worm adds a mild savory-earthy note, the base espadín doesn't have the proof to hold anything up, the bottle reads as the supermarket version of a regional tradition

Finish: Soft, faintly gamey

The bottom line

A skip. The tradition deserves more than 40%