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Lalocura Tobala

Lalocura Tobala is made by Eduardo “Lalo” Angeles, the son of the late Don Lorenzo of Real Minero. Lalo learned to make mezcal from his father.

Rating: (22 reviews)
Brand:Lalocura Mezcal
NOM:NOM-O602X
Mezcalero:Eduardo "Lalo" Angeles
Maguey:Tobala
Agave:Potatorum
Distillation:Clay Pot
Style:Joven
State:Oaxaca
Town:Santa Catarina Minas
ABV: 49%
Age of plant: 15 years
Website: https://www.mezcallalocura.com/, opens in new window

About this mezcal

Lalocura Tobala is made with maguey Tobala in Santa Catarina Minas, Oaxaca. Lalocura has been available in select areas of Oaxaca for a few years, but it finally became available internationally in July 2018. Eduardo “Lalo” Angeles cooks his maguey Tobala with Encino wood, mashes the cooked agave with mallets, ferments the agave in Mexican Cypress vats, and double distills the mezcal in small clay pots. His operation is small and there are only limited batches of his Tobala available.

Lalocura Mezcal

Before starting Lalocura in 2014, Eduardo “Lalo” Ángeles spent years working as the fourth generation master mezcalero of his family’s brand Real Minero, where he combined a lifetime of working under his father, the late, great Don Lorenzo with a collegiate degree in agricultural engineering. Many Real Minero bottles from several years ago actually have Eduardo listed alongside his father as the master distiller. Lalocura’s clay pot distilled mezcals have built a steady cult following over the last few years. People from around the world show up at the palenque in Santa Catarina Minas each day hoping to spend time listening to Lalo tell stories while they taste the 20+ expressions he has resting in glass at any given time. If you like clay pot distilled mezcal and you like Real Minero, it’s highly recommended that you find some Lalocura.

Read about our visit to Lalocura in the blog post A Tour with Oaxacking: Mezcal Lalocura

Member rating

4.61 out of 5

22 reviews

Imperium

Imperium

97 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars11 months ago

2017 edition (not much left) at Madre Hollywood.

Nose: Clay and fruit. Pineapple, strawberry cheesecake, grape candy along with hints of cucumber and cilantro.
Palate: Minerality, dried papaya, strawberry jam and that clay balance from Lalo. Very light on the burn. Sweet and very quaffable! This guy is a master of his craft.

Jose M. Aguayo

Jose M. Aguayo

11 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars11 months ago

Aroma: barro; minerales; terroso; maguey cocido; animal; húmedo
Taste: maguey cocido; ahumado; barro; minerales

James Christian

James Christian

45 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars1 year ago

Batch: Tobala Mazo 2021
Agave: Patatorum
Proof: 48%
Mezclaero: Edwardo Javier Angeles Cerreño
Pre Hispanic, Clay Pot, Two Distillations, Puntas y Colas

Nose: Faint smoke, sweet mesquite, and sauteed green apples

Palate: Completely balanced in the mouth, then the smoke hits the upper register of the nasal passages

Flavors: Round and almost barbecue sauce, lots of green peppers, cracked green pepper spice, – overall bright and green and smokey.

Batch: Tobala Mazo 2021
Agave: Patatorum
Proof: 48%
Mezclaero: Edwardo Javier Angeles Cerreño
Pre Hispanic, Clay Pot, Two Distillations, Puntas y Colas
Nose: Faint smoke, sweet mesquite, and sauteed green apples
Palate: Completely balanced in the mouth, then the smoke hits the upper register of the nasal passages
Flavors: Round and almost barbecue sauce, lots of green peppers, cracked green pepper spice, – overall bright and green and smokey.

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TitoPuenteJrJr

TitoPuenteJrJr

3 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

Lalo’s tobalas were our second favorite (after tobaziche) when my GF and I visited Lalocura last month, but really hard to say one was better than the other. We tried two different kinds of tobala that grow in the area, and an older batch that had been kept in a small clay jug for 6 months or so. All 3 were great in their own ways. all three were very soft bodied with varying degrees of acidity ranged from very minimal to super bright on one of the newer batches. Lots of different green notes – grassy, sweet peas, sweet peppers and green apple acidity. Each one was very special in its own way.

Lalo’s tobalas were our second favorite (after tobaziche) when my GF and I visited Lalocura last month, but really hard to say one was better than the other. We tried two different kinds of tobala that grow in the area, and an older batch that had been kept in a small clay jug for 6 months or so. All 3 were great in their own ways. all three were very soft bodied with varying degrees of acidity ranged from very minimal to super bright on one of the newer batches. Lots of different green no

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JoeVandal

JoeVandal

10 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

Fantastic. A bit pricey but the juice is so damn good! My first from Lalo.

Sour apple, lime, very light clay on the nose.

Palate is fruity, slight clay, little bit of mint freshness, very bright!

L: Tabalei2022-A Bottle 36/533

SoloAgave

SoloAgave

86 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Perhaps one of the finest mezcales that I’ve ever encountered. I savor every sip like its my last one. Rich, round, fruity, mineral, tart green apples, just has a little bit of everything and stays with you after each kiss. If not for the price point this would be with me at all times. If you get the opportunity – treat yourself. Incredible mezcal from an incredible producer at Lalocura.

Zack Klamn

Zack Klamn

542 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Lot: l-07T (Bottle: 884/1304)
Nose – Strawberry Nerds candy. Cheesecake tarts.

Palate – A few seconds of clay, Hawaiian Punch (fruit punch) and blueberry topped cheese cake. Then a blast of black pepper and mint heat (slightly hot for 49%) and yummy smoke. This settles down to a long clay and pine finish with a bbq’d chicken with charred, sweet Bullseye.

aarild

aarild

152 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Dried figs, slate and dusty loft aromas with hints of lactic sourness. More dried fruit on the palate, just a hint of the quince/lime flavour I think of as the maguey tobalá signature. Heavy mineral notes, yet balanced, good viscosity. I would, somewhat illogically, rate it higher if it wasn’t a tobalá, but I found the clay pot minerality was masking the great agave specific fruitiness. Please also note that if the price point was not so high, this could be four stars.
Nov. 2019.
«Tobala 2020» batch: a lot fresher and fruitier, with Lalo’s deep, mineral/woody elegance. Since he stopped labelling as “mezcal”, the price is nearly half of what it was too (Europe import). 4.75 stars.

Dried figs, slate and dusty loft aromas with hints of lactic sourness. More dried fruit on the palate, just a hint of the quince/lime flavour I think of as the maguey tobalá signature. Heavy mineral notes, yet balanced, good viscosity. I would, somewhat illogically, rate it higher if it wasn’t a tobalá, but I found the clay pot minerality was masking the great agave specific fruitiness. Please also note that if the price point was not so high, this could be four stars.
Nov. 2019.
«Tobala 20

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ElAgave

ElAgave

34 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars3 years ago

47%abv

Nose – tree bark, cucumber, sweet and fruity
Palate – orange rind, banana, cedar, pine
Finish – minty, pine

edgy4sure

edgy4sure

39 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Fresh, fruity, smooth – had to tuck this to the back of the cabinet so it’s a little harder to reach for. so damn good!

meserole

meserole

73 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Grassy, sweet, bright in the mouth, with an effervescent mouth feel almost like sour pop rocks candy. Or maybe I was just drunk after 15 chupitos. Either way, this was my favorite from the many Lalocura varieties I tried at his tasting room in Oaxaca, and if I had any idea that bottles in NYC cost $150+ I would have brought more home!

Juriy

Juriy

23 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Tried this at a bar in CDMX yesterday and wow, such a nice tobala. Great flavor, not too harsh, pleasant aftertaste. Got that oily taste I like in tobalas.

Rorschach

Rorschach

42 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

My favorite Tobala so far.
Bought at the palenque so no specifics other than May 2017 distillation. 47% abv.

Chris

Chris

40 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Nov 2019 49.1% batch bought in the Benito Juarez mercado. Now this is what other tobalas want to be when they grow up! I’m not getting any of the apples in this batch. The flavor builds and seems to rise right through the sinuses into the brain’s pleasure receptors. Had the Noble Coyote tobala last night – tart grapefruit with a salty, metallic finish. Three stars is generous on that one. Lalo’s 70% Tep 30% tobala is pretty much gone – maybe a couple 250ml bottles here and there. Hope he makes some more soon. Bought Lalo’s Aug 2019 San Martinero and Rey Campero Tobala, which hasn’t been made for a while, but those will have to wait until I’m back in Texas at the end of the week.

Nov 2019 49.1% batch bought in the Benito Juarez mercado. Now this is what other tobalas want to be when they grow up! I’m not getting any of the apples in this batch. The flavor builds and seems to rise right through the sinuses into the brain’s pleasure receptors. Had the Noble Coyote tobala last night – tart grapefruit with a salty, metallic finish. Three stars is generous on that one. Lalo’s 70% Tep 30% tobala is pretty much gone – maybe a couple 250ml bottles h

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NickSanford

NickSanford

23 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars4 years ago

One of my favorite Tobalas instantly on the first taste. First notes I received were the sour apples and the candied tarts. It gives it a very cotton candy type of flavor, but not with the intense sweetness as much which gives it a wonderful subtle sweet flavor that isn’t to overpowering like some other Tobalas. This one is sensational and I had to buy a bottle from Eduardo himself when I visited his Palenque.

kozinnski

kozinnski

14 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars4 years ago

Sour apples, tart candy, candied ginger, clay, chalk, raspberries. Super fruity, high toned, and razor sharp.

stigibeu

stigibeu

33 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Lot L-07T, bottle 284/1738

N: apple, sour funk, lime, light peach
T: dry, sharp front and very smooth end, slight green pepper/jalapeño, herbaceous, faint smoke. After 20 minutes in the glass, candied mint. Then still later, random taste of BBQ chicken deep into the glass.
F: cracked pepper for days, minimal burn. Very pleasant.
S: 9.39/10. One of my favorites and a great clay pot expression. Worth the cost.

GreenspointTexas

GreenspointTexas

385 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Somewhere between 4 and 4.5 stars. Solid tobala, but maybe not worth $180. Pepto, dried berries and wet asphalt. Interesting

Tyler

Tyler

636 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Agree with the other reviewers. Lots of sour apple funk here. Completely unique and organic. Fresh mint. January 2019 batch.

Nic Hnastchenko

Nic Hnastchenko

108 reviews
Rated 5 out of 5 stars5 years ago

Another delicious mezcal from Lalo, fruity but not super sweet. Packs a little bit of a punch, which is never a bad thing.

Revisited. Lalo brings out the most random tasting notes for me. On this one, I got Nerd candy.

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