Montelobos Mezcal Espadín

Montelobos is an artesanal joven mezcal from Santiago Matatlan in the Oaxacan central valleys, made entirely from certified organic Espadin, Agave angustifolia, by the biologist and distiller Ivan Saldana alongside Mezcalero Don Abel Lopez. The house works only with cultivated agave as a matter of policy, a deliberate stance against drawing on wild plants.
Espadin gives a balanced, approachable backbone, and here the pit roast pushes the smoke forward, reading as charcoal and wood, the signature that comes from roasting the agave hearts over fire rather than from peat. That smoke is held in check by other traits, with citrus lifting the nose and a green vegetal heat from the agave meeting sweet cooked agave on the palate. Strong black pepper and a mineral, oily finish round it out, bottled at 43.2 percent in a direct, honest style.