Review #: 293
Description: NETA Tepexate
Spirit: Mezcal
Background: This is a batch of mezcal twice distilled in copper from tepexate agave by Heriberto Garcia Sanchez. 60 liters were produced from the machete and machine milled maguey as it was cooked in a conical earthen oven and fermented with native yeasts in Montezuma cypress wooden tanks. Selected by Aficionados Group and Seelbach’s, it comes in at 46% ABV and a price tag of $165 per bottle. Let’s dig in.
Distillery – Heriberto Garcia Sanchez
Bottler – NETA
Brand – NETA
Selection – Aficionados/Seelbachs
ABV – 46%
Age – Unaged
Nose – Lots of bright and fresh veggies, little bit of fresh spearmint leaves, white pepper, fresh cut grass, wet soil then there is a back bone of sweetness, sugar syrup and vanilla
Taste – Extremely silky across the tongue, rainwater, wet soil, dull mint, almost a subdued caramel like taste (like one of those bullseye candies)
Finish – Gets really earthy, sweet bell pepper, cold water, metallic, peppercorn, sea salt, raw carrots. The metallic note balances between bitter and salty, but only for a moment. It settles and lingers on black pepper, fresh agave, and mineral water
Score: 7
Would I buy a bottle? I think so
Thoughts: There’s a lot going on here and not a lot of it feels like it should work. There are quick glimpses where it feels like it might fall apart at the hinges, but it always pulls itself back together and still every sip is enjoyable. It maybe feels a bit hotter than 46%, but it is still very drinkable. I think it’s interesting enough to warrant the cost of a bottle.