Del Maguey Tobala

Lote: TOB-201
Sweet and floral nose. Light butter. Key lime pie.
Taste is woody and dry (like a tobala). Pleasantly sweet as well with light cream. Maybe tastes a bit hot for 45%? All around solid. I know DM gets a lot of flack but I’m consistently surprised by the quality that can still be found with their large lineup.
Review #212

TOP-151 (review from going through a bottle in 2017)
A relatively well balanced/smooth tobala. While tasty, no flavor in particular sticks out (has the requisite fruitiness, a bit of an oak/lactic taste, a touch of mineral, etc…). It is solid and well balanced, but there is a lot of excellent stuff in the ~110-120 price range. If slightly cheaper it would be a 4 star bottle.

Reviewing this as half of a two ounce pour from last night that’s been sitting open overnight. Mildly smoky aroma. Taste is sweet and reminds me of the house sake at my neighborhood sushi place. Faint mint and parsley that are well blended. Medium palate and low burn.

Batch TOB-181
Nose- soft, floral, fruits
Palate- light, mineral, hint of smoke
Finish- smooth slightly ethanol which quickly dissipates
Overall- easy sipper that allows you to hunt for flavors

TOB-201 (2021)

46 down to 45% compared to previous years.

Nose : cheese and fruits
Mouth : sweet and salty notes, buttery and warm pastry
Finish : medium lenght
A solid and accessible batch overall. I’ve seen more complex but it’s a good Tobala.

Good not great

Lot TOB-141, 2015?

1/25/22: The nose is fairly light, fruity, with ripe peaches and some cinnamon. Mango, plums, apples, lots of fruit here. The palette is a touch hot, but the finish is smooth and leathery with some smokiness.

While this is not as much of a floral fruit bomb as some other tobalas, I am really drawn to the balance of the fruit with some of the more earthy, smoky qualities.

Nose – Papaya. Cinnamon.

Palate – Dried tropical fruit. Sharp flavor. A nice mezcal although some ethanol burn on the back end knocked it down a peg.

I took a break from Mezcal for a few months. And today I just had this amazing Tobala. I’m transported to a simpler life that tastes musky, sweet, cinnamonie, and seductive. Drinking in the traditional neat way. Lovely…

Love seeing how variable the reviews are — I should’ve taken note of the bottle and lot info. Found a pour of this at an unassuming taco shop in Brooklyn that had a surprising array of mezcal bottles that I saw from the street.

Wet stone, clay, rocks, banana, vanilla. I would absolutely by a bottle of this. One of the best offerings from Del Maguey that I’ve sampled.

Tob-181, first sip from the bottle.
Immediately exposing a stronger nose than expected, it smells of ephemeral fruit, varnish and antique bookshop. Quince, lime, light smoke, vanilla and cassia cinnamon.

Edit: I’ve tried several batches, consistently very, very nice all of them. Mezcals from the three Albarradas villages I’ve tried have all been viscous, fruity, and well balanced. Top notch.

There is something sweet on the nose but I mostly pick up that blue cheese funk, not overpowering but prominent, some leather hiding in there. Taste is really similar rich, sweet, funky, the ashy char comes in late and finishes a little plasticy. Very interesting, in no way similar to the lesser priced tobalas I’ve had. At the price it will be a while to bring another home. Lot looks like tob-181, 2018 copyright

Near the end of the bottle. Tried at Mayahuel. Light, mild flavor. Remarkably sweet, with an almost honey-like earthiness, maybe peach. Mild tanginess. Really tasty, easy drinking. Working on it a little more, the clay taste is more distinct, with a vaguely rubbery taste, but not in a gross way. Maybe more like the flavor of gum after the real flavor is chewed out.

Lot TOB-131, presumably distilled in 2013. Smells like pine. Flavour-wise it’s very balanced but, for my taste, it’s too soft and dull. There is a bit of agave sweetness, some fruity/sour notes and a whiff of wood and smoke, but nothing really stands out. A good mezcal, but I had hoped for something more interesting.

Sweet, earthy. Rubber, fresh baked dough, sweet and savory vinegar. Light earth, not too chemical forward. Bit of agave stank/funk. The complexity is astounding.

This is my favorite Mezcal to date. Wonderfully ripe and smooth. Tropical fruits and spice on the nose with decadent mango and grilled pineapple on the palate. Wet earth/clay on a lingering finish. I love this. Can’t wait to try the El Jolgorio Tobala and compare the two.

Nose: Red Berries, Mango, Earthy and minerals, vanilla, Brine, baking spice.

Palate: Medium mouthfeel, red berries, earth, minerals, mangos, slight smoke, baking spice.

Finish: Medium length, smoke, earth, berries, brine, vanilla.

This is a tasty, fruity, powerful mezcal, the nose on this is the best part, but the flavor and finish hold it up as well. This is one of the tastiest 90 proof spirits I have ever had.

I didn’t find to much flavor in this Tobala. It was good, but it had just a little bit of the Floral flavors that were hitting and a pretty earthy smokiness to it. Gave it 3 Stars due to the high price attached to it. Tobala is one of my favorite agaves so I hold a pretty high standard for any Tobala.