Tosba Tobala

Item: Tosba Tobala
Rating: 3.5
Author: The Editors

Tosba's tobalá is the quietest bottle in the house

Score: 3.5/5 agaves

Producer: Tosba Mezcal
Maestro: Edgar Gonzalez
Region: San Cristobal Lachirioag, Oaxaca
Agave: Tobala
ABV: 49%
Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

By absolute standards this is a fine tobalá – mineral, clean, proofed correctly. By Tosba standards it's the bottle you'd reach for after the cenizo, the arroqueño, and the tepextate had all been emptied. The wild-agave hierarchy inside Gonzalez's own catalog is the signal: buy the rest first.

In the Tosba catalog, this is the one you'd pour second

Tasting notes

Nose: Melon rind, then wet limestone, honey, faint floral

Palate: Clean and mineral at 49%, with the tobalá sweetness present but less vivid than the house's wild expressions – the arroqueño and tepextate set a bar this bottle doesn't quite clear

Finish: Dry, clean – long

The bottom line

Good tobalá, not the Tosba bottle to start with

Where to buy online

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