Montelobos Mezcal Ensamble

Montelobos Ensamble is a joven mezcal made from three agaves cooked, fermented and distilled together: 53% Cupreata, also called Papalote, 35% Espadín and 12% Tobalá. The ensamble is the oldest way to drink mezcal, joining several mature magueyes into one batch, and here it rounds Cupreata's earthy fruit with Espadín sweetness and a delicate floral edge from Tobalá. The brand was founded by Iván Saldaña with maestro Don Abel López Mateos in Santiago Matatlán, and pledges to use only cultivated agave.

Production is artesanal: conical earth oven roasting, fermentation and double distillation in copper. The nose shows cooked agave, smoke, citrus and a hint of sweetness; the palate adds capers, nutmeg and pink pepper over moderate wood smoke. Bottled at 45.3%.