Reviews / Mestiza Negra Espadin

Review · · by The Editors

Mestiza Negra Espadin

Artesanal Matatlán espadín at a price that almost feels like a typo

Score: 4.5/5 agaves

Mestiza Negra Espadin bottle
  • Producer: Mestiza Negra
  • Maestro: Doña Juana
  • Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
  • Agave: Espadin
  • ABV: 45%
  • Price: $20 ($)

Verdict

Doña Juana's Matatlán espadín at $20 is the value outlier of the catalog. The profile runs softer than most Matatlán, butter, cream, peach, a late tobacco – and 45% reads clean rather than cut. The community's 4.0 is fair on the liquid alone; the price is what pushes us to 4.5. At Vida money, a different conversation. The $20 is a Trader Joe's price; online it's $22 to $29.

Twenty dollars at Trader Joe's. For a 45% artesanal espadín made by hand in Matatlán. Read that twice

Tasting notes

Nose: Warm stone. Then cooked agave, orange peel

Palate: Matatlán with the commercial sweetness dialed back. A mineral mid-palate, green-herb thread, and smoke that sits as seasoning rather than feature; lean at 45%

Finish: Drying, a slow cooling close – medium-long

The bottom line

The best value pour in the catalog. Buy it against Vida

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.