Mezonte Tepe

Verdict

Thirty reviewers at 4.5 don't line up for a bottle that plays safe, and Tepe isn't safe – it's a hot, herbal, mineral argument that Jalisco can make mezcal that sits next to the best Oaxacan wild ensembles. The cenizo-masparillo pairing sits as deliberate rather than accidental, and the dual-still treatment gives it weight most raicilla bottlings lack. Our highest recommendation in the Mezonte catalog.

Tasting notes

Nose: Pine needle, then hot granite, dried tobacco, a menthol edge

Palate: 48% with clay pot and Filipino still both doing work – cenizo's mentholated sharpness laid over masparillo's earthier body. Dense, long-building, unrepentantly rustic

Finish: Mineral, slow warming – very long

The bottom line

A second bottle isn't a bad call – one to drink, one to save

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 3 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

• Old Town Tequila
• K&L Wines
• Saratoga Wine