Reviews / Pierde Almas Tepextate
Review · · by The Editors
Pierde Almas Tepextate
Tepextate at 55% – the legal ceiling, in the glass
Score: 4.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Pierde Almas Mezcal
- Maestro: Gregorio Velasco Luis, Rodolfo Hernandez
- Region: San Juan del Rio, San Luis del Rio, Oaxaca
- Agave: Tepextate
- ABV: 55%
- Price: $70 ($$)
Verdict
Tepextate wants proof, and Pierde Almas gives it every legal point. The banana-and-chocolate profile is unusual for the plant – most tepextate leans green and mineral, and the restraint with which the producer lets those notes develop is what keeps the bottle from reading as a trophy. Put it next to Lalocura's tepextate and Real Minero's and you have the US market's three best tepextate arguments.
55% is the ceiling by law; this is what it sounds like when the ceiling lifts
Tasting notes
Nose: Ripe banana, then dark cocoa, green melon, a cool mineral breath
Palate: Powerful, cool, layered. 55% is the highest proof Mexican law allows, and Pierde Almas uses every point of it. Chocolate-and-banana sits on top of a tepextate spine that could hold far more. The liquid does not read hot – it reads complete
Finish: Cocoa-to-stone, lingering. Long
The bottom line
The 55% ceiling isn't a stunt here. Grab it when you find it
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 2 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.
- Mission Liquor
- Keg N Bottle – $179.99