Reviews / Villasuso Salmiana

Review · · by The Editors

Villasuso Salmiana

Guanajuato salmiana at commodity proof – a category outlier

Score: 4.0/5 agaves

Villasuso Salmiana bottle
  • Producer: Villasuso Mezcal
  • Maestro: Manuel Bernardo Villasuso Courtade, Pedro Valdes
  • Region: Guanajuato
  • Agave: Salmiana
  • ABV: 36%
  • Price: $70 ($$)

Verdict

Manuel Villasuso's work in Guanajuato is one of the few points on the map where salmiana mezcal gets a serious bench, and the liquid itself is distinctive, dry, mineral, high-altitude in a way Oaxaca can't reproduce. But the 36-40% proof range is too low for the plant's austerity to hold structure. Track it for the category rarity, not for reference work. Our read diverges from

Salmiana at 36% is an agave pulling its punches

Tasting notes

Nose: Green herbs, wet stone, cooked agave, a desert-dry undertone

Palate: Lean and austere at 36-40%, with the salmiana's high-altitude character legible but the proof running below where the plant sings

Finish: Drying, mineral. Long

The bottom line

Track it for the state, not for the proof

Where to buy online

We found this bottle at 1 US retailer. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.