Ultramundo Lamparillo - Benjamín Ávila

Verdict

Benjamín Ávila works at Nombre de Dios, the Durango town quietly producing some of the most honest northern mezcal on the shelf. The lamparillo – a wild cenizo-family agave – reads drier and more structured here than most Durango expressions on the market, and the high-40s-to-low-50s proof gives it the backbone northern plants ask for. Track it alongside the Roldán and Perez bottlings for the full bench.

Tasting notes

Nose: Hot stone with cracked pepper, dry herbs

Palate: Lean, mineral, cooling at 48-52%, with the northern cenizo-adjacent character dried down and the proof carrying a long herbal tail

Finish: Mentholated, iron-tinged – very long

The bottom line

Worth tracking. Northern wild-agave work at reference proof

Where to buy online

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

• Total Wine
• Binny's
• K&L Wines
• South Lyndale