Lalocura Tobasiche is made by maestro mezcalero Eduardo "Lalo" Angeles, who produces some of the most well-renowned mezcal in all of Oaxaca.
About this mezcal
Lalocura Tobasiche is made with the tall and slender maguey Tobasiche (Agave karwinskii), also called Largo in the same region. Lalo cooks the agave in an underground pit oven with Encino wood, mashes the cooked agave by hand with wooden mallets, ferments the agave in cypress tubs in the open air for nine days, and double distills this mezcal in small clay pots.
The Agave Mixtape vol. 6 release was labeled as Tobasiche de Monte. The Maguey Tobasiche plants used in that batch grew wild in the hills above Lalo’s town of Santa Catarina Minas. It was distilled in January 2019, during the driest time of the year when the plants’ sugars are most concentrated. It is slightly sweeter and carries less of the bitter aftertaste that can be found in other releases of this type.
Agave Mixtape
Agave Mixtape brings the best agave spirits together in one place – your place. Agave Mixtape is a subscription based service. Subscribers receive boxes with three 200ml bottles from three different brands – Lalocura, Mal Bien, and Neta (and maybe a few surprises) – filled with batches picked especially for Agave Mixtape, and not available anywhere else in the USA. Each box includes production notes on the batches, along with links to photos, and virtual tastings with the people behind the brands and the mezcaleros. You can subscribe directly from their website.
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
Lalo of Lalocura talks about the history of tobasiche in Santa Catarina Minas, how the plant varies by region, and what he’s doing to ensure it has a future.
Review this bottle
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Ben P
110 reviewsThis review is for a batch labeled Cultivado en Cerro. ABV is 47%
Nose: fresh grass, mint, green apple, distinct rosemary and sage, petrichor
Palate and Finish: minty green apple, soft lemon juice, wood, green melon rind. Back end is fresh minerality, tons of herbs, ground stone, sage, rosemary, little citrus and pine
Good Lalo as always. This leans more into the herbs than I prefer but still solid. Interestingly less clay influence than I usually see from Lalo
Imperium
99 reviewsNose is clean, green and creamy with maybe a little grape soda.
Palate is soft and creamy mouthfeel that’s to Lalo’s signature clay style. Green, nutty, and smooth. Understandable why it’s so popular.
Surprisingly very spicy finish, like I just bit into a jalapeño. I wasn’t expecting that at all.
sourmonkey
1 reviewexcellent quality. extremely well integrated. super creamy vanilla soft notes. bit herbal minerality from the clay pot. one of the best mezcal’s i’ve ever had. more subtle than most, so not a smoke bomb.
Patrick
57 reviewsDecember 2019
47.6%
Nose : creamy and fruity. Something herbal..maybe some thyme. A little yeasty.
Taste : thick texture with lots of strawberry. Some clay and a little salty.
Finish : dry, sweet and a sliver of smoke.
High quality stuff with great balance. Drinkablity levels through the roof.
TitoPuenteJrJr
3 reviewsTruly, the best mezcal I’ve ever had. My girlfriend and I spent a whole afternoon visiting the Lalocura palenque, seeing the process and tasting through 12(!!) different expressions with Berenice who works there. Towards the end, Lalo introduced himself and we tasted 4 more that he had in his house. All of the expressions were incredible, but the Tobasiche stood out to both of us as the winner of the day. Lots of tried herbs – oregano, sage, and thyme, along with a bunch of woody flavors. It managed to have a creamy texture that I usually think of with something sweeter, while also being really dry. We bought a bottle, but I already wish we’d gotten 2.
Truly, the best mezcal I’ve ever had. My girlfriend and I spent a whole afternoon visiting the Lalocura palenque, seeing the process and tasting through 12(!!) different expressions with Berenice who works there. Towards the end, Lalo introduced himself and we tasted 4 more that he had in his house. All of the expressions were incredible, but the Tobasiche stood out to both of us as the winner of the day. Lots of tried herbs – oregano, sage, and thyme, along with a bunch of woody fl
El-Dawg
209 reviewsNo Lote on this bottle (March 2017 date of distillation).
Tangy, sweet smell – just like I like my clays.
Taste has some real grassy notes (almost like a sotol). Brown sugar, leather. Overall very balanced, with a sweet and smooth finish.
Review #157
Soxfan
18 reviewsDistilled in 2017. Bottle 55/176. Pulled this bottle off the shelf for the first time in years, and glad I did. Lovey, lingering finish covering all your favorite Tobasiche sweet spots. Not sure I’ve tasted a Tobasiche I like more than this.
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsLOT: D-01-19 Tobasiche
Nose – New kitchen rubber. Sweet bread. Coconut cream.
Palate – Soft and creamy. White pepper heat and tobacco smoke are well balanced. The spicy, sweet and creamy notes remind me of a Thai green coconut curry. The clay really rounds this out. Aftertaste of grilled, salted, buttered corn on the cob and delicious smoke. Solid Lalo!
Tyler
643 reviewsLalocura Tobasiche is a classic Lalo mezcal that you need to try. For me, this is his “signature” mezcal.
April 2020 “de monte” batch – Big juicy fruit aromas. Lots of organic sweet Gushers flavors. Really approachable mezcal. Makes me think of fruit trees or Maguey Tobala notes. The dry woody notes are in the background. 47.1%. 5+ stars.
January 2019 “de monte” Agave Mixtape volume 6 batch (D-01-19) – More clay notes on this batch. Flavors are more aligned with what I think of from clay pot mezcals from Minas. Notes of burnt orange rinds. 48.4%. 4 stars.
FYI if you like Largo from Minas, this is the same plant by a different name so give this a try to compare.
Lalocura Tobasiche is a classic Lalo mezcal that you need to try. For me, this is his “signature” mezcal.
April 2020 “de monte” batch – Big juicy fruit aromas. Lots of organic sweet Gushers flavors. Really approachable mezcal. Makes me think of fruit trees or Maguey Tobala notes. The dry woody notes are in the background. 47.1%. 5+ stars.
January 2019 “de monte” Agave Mixtape volume 6 batch (D-01-19) – More clay notes on this batch. Flavors are mor
UchidaT
5 reviewsBatch D-01-19, bottle 42/180, distilled by Lalo Ángeles (obviously)
Upon first approach, the nose leans strongly towards aloe vera and other succulents. Immediately thereafter, fresh peat and humid, almost decaying vegetation. Then forest undergrowth, ferns, moss, seaweed, seashells. I’m reminded of my hometown in Mexico after a long, tropical, hot August rain. Clay, flint, quite mineral in fact. Perfect alcohol integration. Cooked agave and a hint of smoke top it all off. Gorgeous.
In the mouth it’s creamy, herbal, still quite reminiscent of succulents. It feels like biting into a piece of sweet, juicy cooked agave. Fresh mint, green leaves and green peppers. The minerality is still very present, along with a deep earthy and vegetal peatiness with little to no smoke. The finish is leafy and has you thinking of maguey long after you’ve finished your glass.
I could give it five stars for the nose alone, which is one, if not the most beautiful nose I’ve encountered in mezcal. I’ve successfully used this bottle to convert my fellow whisky-loving, empty-glass-sniffing friends to the wonders of agave distilates. The palate is delicious but falls slightly short in complexity, so I’ll dock it half a point for the sake of objectivity. It’s a stellar, elegant, close-to-perfection, straightforward mezcal and I wholeheartedly recommend it, but don’t expect anything funky or extravagant. For gentlefolk only.
Batch D-01-19, bottle 42/180, distilled by Lalo Ángeles (obviously)
Upon first approach, the nose leans strongly towards aloe vera and other succulents. Immediately thereafter, fresh peat and humid, almost decaying vegetation. Then forest undergrowth, ferns, moss, seaweed, seashells. I’m reminded of my hometown in Mexico after a long, tropical, hot August rain. Clay, flint, quite mineral in fact. Perfect alcohol integration. Cooked agave and a hint of smoke top it all off. Gorgeous.
In th
aarild
152 reviewsWow. Flint, smoke, dusty loft on the nose. Dry roasted peanuts, coconut. Plum and dark fruits, soon changing into prunes, figues and leather. Stunning.
Gregg T&T
100 reviewsJuly 2020 46.5% Strawberries and cream on the nose, palate is cilantro, lemongrass, with a spicy finish. Stellar.
meserole
73 reviewsThis has a very savory smell to it – salted corn on the nose, which made me think it might be close to the its well known Karwinskii sibling, the San Martinero mezcal, but it was in fact quite different. It’s a rich flavor journey like a well-constructed salad: mint, sharp pea greens, corn, and a bit of saltiness. A nearly perfect mezcal yet again from Lalocura.
There were two Lalocura Tobasiches available at the palenque when I visited — so not 100% sure this is the same as the listing, but I purchased a bottle of the Tobasiche Marteño – no lot number, but it was distilled January 2021, at 47% ABV instead of the 49% listed here.
This has a very savory smell to it – salted corn on the nose, which made me think it might be close to the its well known Karwinskii sibling, the San Martinero mezcal, but it was in fact quite different. It’s a rich flavor journey like a well-constructed salad: mint, sharp pea greens, corn, and a bit of saltiness. A nearly perfect mezcal yet again from Lalocura.
There were two Lalocura Tobasiches available at the palenque when I visited — so not 100% sure this is the same as
Meady
53 reviewsLovely creamy texture on the palate. Sweetness hits first – agave with notes of vanilla, chocolate, sage, clove, then evolves to more mineral with a clay backdrop to it all. A nice finish with a touch of mint and spice lingering.
Really hard to ignore this bottle in the cupboard. As others have said, when you’re not sure what you’re in the mood for, this always works. Goes down like a dream.
Brahh
11 reviewsFantastic…for sure 5/5. Strong and elegant at the same time.
Juriy
23 reviewsSmells sweet, a little grassy, feels like dessert in a glass. Can already tell it’s well balanced by smelling. Taste — sweet, chocolaty at first, bitter and minerals after. A bit harsh, chocolate vanilla after taste. Very balanced Lalocura but probably not as good for me as Tobala or Arroqueno. Wish it was oiler, more full bodied.
Still, very balanced, very drinkable. This is a great mezcal as most of this brand is.
jpaquequo
2 reviewsVery spice forward, I get some cinnamon, clove and then a lot of sweetness, all wrapped in clay. It is a straight forward mezcal, but a very well made one at that. I keep going to this when I’m not in the mood for anything specific. It’s just so easy to drink. Would be 5 stars but it does lack some complexity found in other mezcals I enjoy more, albeit I gravitate towards enjoying them less often.
TheAgaveFairy
169 reviews1oz sample
Very gentle, controlled ABV. Agave sweetness, that swells into minerality / clay on the palate with that vanilla and touches of sage, fading more into cloves, tobacco, a touch of spearmint, and minerals. Most sensations are of sweetness, with a gentle prickle of ethanol. It’s just erring boring, and tbh maybe could use a touch more acid for structure. Solid though!
Wanderingspider
53 reviewsBatch is from March 2019
Somewhat hard to pin down. There’s a lot going on.
I get some spice (cinnamon) and a bit of dried earth on the nose.
The palate is big and warm with a light sweetness in balance. It’s got a mineral persistence to it.
Grappa? Sort of plum brandy?
Sort of a 4-4.25
It’s good I like it.
Mansson
71 reviewsLot L 11 lar 3, distilled 2017. “Lalo” Ángeles made batches for the Sacapalabras label in the past; this batch (with exactly the same number) was bottled also for his own brand Lalocura. I have both versions; this review is from a Sacapalabras bottle. It’s very good, with a plethora of flavours: herbs (rosemary, thyme), coffee and baking spices. I’m a big fan of Lalo’s distillates, but this one is perhaps lacking a bit of sweetness to earn a higher score.