Reviews / Pluma Negra Tepextate

Review · · by The Editors

Pluma Negra Tepextate

Tepextate at 52%, structural, green, long

Score: 4.5/5 agaves

Pluma Negra Tepextate bottle
  • Producer: Pluma Negra Mezcal
  • Maestro: Rodolfo Hernandez
  • Region: San Juan del Rio, Oaxaca
  • Agave: Tepextate
  • ABV: 52%
  • Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

If the Pluma Negra 48% espadín demonstrates that proof matters, the tepextate 52% demonstrates what happens when a producer commits to proof all the way through the catalog. Twenty-plus-year marmorata at 52% is the bottle tepextate collectors should be chasing. We'd pour it next to Real Minero and Pierde Almas 55% and let the room decide a favorite.

Tepextate above 50% is where the plant's patience becomes the drinker's pleasure

Tasting notes

Nose: Green melon up front. Crushed mint, wet stone, a thin smoke underneath

Palate: Cool and long, the 52% proof doing exactly what tepextate asks for. Pluma Negra lets the marmorata sing without dressing it – there's no sweetness added, no softness faked. Mineral weight from front to back

Finish: Green, cooling. Very long

The bottom line

Grab it when you find it. Tepextate at the proof the plant deserves

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 4 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.

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