Reviews / Pal'alma Michoacán - Azul
Review · · by The Editors
Pal'alma Michoacán - Azul
Azul from Michoacán – tequila's cousin, raised differently
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Pal'alma
- Maestro: María E. Pérez
- Region: Rio de Parras, Michoacán
- Agave: Azul
- ABV: 52%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Michoacán's mezcal producers can use agave azul (blanco Weber) because they're outside tequila's denomination of origin, and bottles like this are why the conversation matters. Palalma renders the same agave that fills most tequila bottles as something with earth, smoke, and backbone – none of the neutral gloss Jalisco imposes. Buy it and hand it to the next person who tells you they only drink tequila.
The bottle that settles the argument about what azul could be if it wasn't forced to be tequila
Tasting notes
Nose: Cooked pineapple, then mineral salt, black pepper, citrus rind
Palate: 52% of agave azul fermented and distilled the mezcal way – none of the neutral polish of a tequila, all of the earth and smoke the agave can carry. Aged in glass rather than barrel; the time shows as rounded edges, not wood
Finish: Bright, minerally – long
The bottom line
Buy. Essential for anyone who thinks they don't like agave azul
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.