Montelobos Mezcal Tobalá

Montelobos Tobalá is an unaged joven built entirely from the small Tobalá agave, Agave potatorum, a slow growing maguey usually wild harvested. Montelobos works instead with cultivated Tobalá grown by the Alva family in Puebla, part of founder Iván Saldaña's commitment to never draw on wild stands, and the brand farms without pesticides or herbicides.

The agave is roasted underground, fermented with wild yeast and twice distilled in copper in small batches, an artesanal route that keeps the species fingerprint front and centre. Tobalá is prized for delicacy, and the result is balanced and bright: green agave, lime zest and green pepper on the nose, with pear and a touch of licorice, then basil, citrus and fig over restrained roasting smoke. Bottled at 46.8%, undiluted enough to carry the agave's floral mineral lift.