Maguey Melate Criollo from Carmello Pedroza Alvarez was originally released as the December 2023 Mezcalero of the Month Club agave spirit.
About this destilado de agave
Maguey Melate Criollo from Carmello Pedroza Alvarez was originally released as the December 2023 Mezcalero of the Month Club agave spirit.
The region surrounding El Platanar Malinalco is quite tropical in comparison to the rest of Estado de Mexico, which is largely full of pine forests. The name town name of El Platanar refers to “the place where bananas grow,” which indicates the tropical nature of this micro-climate. Many agaves in these area resemble Agave rhodacantha and Agave angustifolia, however it seems that any agave that is not Agave tequilana in this region is simply referred to as maguey Criollo.
Maguey Melate
Maguey Melate was founded on two ideas: 1) Artisanal agave spirits are amazing and should be shared with the world, and 2) The faster-cheaper economy is a harmful force for people, the environment, and now agave spirits.
They believe if mezcal (and agave spirits) can be understood and appreciated at its full potential, people will show their preference for quality artisanal mezcal that is sustainably and fairly sourced. By raising consumer consciousness on the origins of mezcal and educating enthusiasts on matters of quality and character, informed people will be empowered to ensure the future of mezcal. To do this, they’re reaching a large audience with an impactful message: KEEP MEZCAL ARTISANAL!
Maguey Melate is perhaps most well-known for their Mezcalero of the Month Club, which delivers artisanal small-batch agave spirits directly to the doors of consumers in the US and Mexico. In addition to the monthly spirits, they offer exclusive content and interviews with producers. Single releases are also available in the Maguey Melate shop.
Review this bottle
Login or create an account to add your tasting notes
les_
27 reviewsold milk chocolate, sour milk, green banana, lime peel, char, leather, mint, pavement, acetone
CAR-CRI-001
Satchmo
6 reviewsMarch 2023. Don’t hate it. Glad to have tried it. Simple. Not complex. Can’t place the dominate flavor. Nothing wrong with it at all, but let’s not throw too many roses. We got sweet. Is that nut? A meatiness? The plant’s armpit is coming thru, and that’s what I want. I like this a lot and am gonna bump up from a 2.5 star to a 3.5.
Spirit_Buff
5 reviewsMezcal Review #6 – Maguey Melate Club Pick December 2023 – Criollo
Criollo, 42.5% ABV.
Notes: From El Plantanar Manlinaleo, Estado de Mexico. Distilled 2x is copper stills by Carmelo Perdoza Alvarez. 375 L.
Nose: A bit “new-make”-y – kind of like musty hot dog water. It smelled like this the first time I tried to distill something – and IPA that never got pleasant. Orange peel, smoked meat, flowers, and grass. This was distilled in March 2023 so it’s still a bit young, might improve with more rest. That or they just went too deep into the tails.
Palate: Better. The usual suspects – cream cheese frosting, mint, milk chocolate. Medium sweetness. Texture is a bit thin, likely a result of the low ABV. Not very complex but good enough.
Finish: Smoky, some distant burnt plastic and clay.
Comments: I’d heard that the December/January box was not well received, and I can see why. This is fine, but there are definite flaws here. I’ll hang onto this sample for a while and see if it’s doing better in ~6 months.
Score: 4/10 (t8ke scale)
1 | Disgusting | So bad I poured it out.
2 | Poor | I wouldn’t consume by choice.
3 | Bad | Multiple flaws.
4 | Sub-par | Not bad, but better exists.
5 | Good | Good, just fine.
6 | Very Good | A cut above.
7 | Great | Well above average
8 | Excellent | Really quite exceptional.
9 | Incredible | An all time favorite
10 | Perfect | Perfect
Mezcal Review #6 – Maguey Melate Club Pick December 2023 – Criollo
Criollo, 42.5% ABV.
Notes: From El Plantanar Manlinaleo, Estado de Mexico. Distilled 2x is copper stills by Carmelo Perdoza Alvarez. 375 L.
Nose: A bit “new-make”-y – kind of like musty hot dog water. It smelled like this the first time I tried to distill something – and IPA that never got pleasant. Orange peel, smoked meat, flowers, and grass. This was distilled in March 2023 so it’s still a bit young, might improv
Ben P
110 reviewsNose: malt chocolate, tootsie rolls, as it sits it sours quickly, like chocolate milk gone bad, sour root beer?
Palate: more tootsie roll, bbq beef, vinegar bbq sauce, leathery cider, molasses. Finish is tart and sour. Old caramel but not in a great way. Root beer.
This is just odd. I actually enjoyed it the first pour but not so much on subsequent pours. I think it’s the tart and sour profile that goes along with the chocolate and caramel tootsie roll. It’s not that it’s terrible just not something I go reach for. I’m always interested in different styles from different places and that at least makes it interesting.
Nose: malt chocolate, tootsie rolls, as it sits it sours quickly, like chocolate milk gone bad, sour root beer?
Palate: more tootsie roll, bbq beef, vinegar bbq sauce, leathery cider, molasses. Finish is tart and sour. Old caramel but not in a great way. Root beer.
This is just odd. I actually enjoyed it the first pour but not so much on subsequent pours. I think it’s the tart and sour profile that goes along with the chocolate and caramel tootsie roll. It’s not that it’s terrible just no
Jam
156 reviewsReview #110:
The nose has baby wipes, baby powder, light caramel, spoiled milk chocolate, butyric, mulch, vanilla, powdered sugar, carpet, white amber, and musk.
The palate has spoiled milk chocolate, malt balls, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, smarties candy, chalk, and some soft melons.
I keep coming back to this hoping I would like it more, but I actually like it less each time. The weird old chocolate smell and taste is too much for me to enjoy much beyond that. If there were more of something else alongside it I would like this quite a bit more, but everything feels like it’s lacking and muted. It feels like it almost has something going for me but falls short. It is pretty easygoing and I can kind of appreciate the weird notes on this, but it’s not for me.
Review #110:
The nose has baby wipes, baby powder, light caramel, spoiled milk chocolate, butyric, mulch, vanilla, powdered sugar, carpet, white amber, and musk.
The palate has spoiled milk chocolate, malt balls, caramel, vanilla, brown sugar, smarties candy, chalk, and some soft melons.
I keep coming back to this hoping I would like it more, but I actually like it less each time. The weird old chocolate smell and taste is too much for me to enjoy much beyond that. If there were more of somethin
Imperium
99 reviewsNote: Chocolate cream pie with meringue, all day long and all night too. Raw sugar cane.
Palate: Sugar cane, molasses and more chocolate cream pie, please! Some coppery taste in there, some cooked agave, a little bit of greenness. This is really good and reminds me of a tepemete I have.
I’ve noticed that Angustifolia can vary widely based on terroir and region, which really challenges my initial assumptions about the maguey and gives me a newfound respect for it (I used to think it was only espadin, which turned me off). This however is really good despite its relatively low abv, and while it’s not quite as good as some offerings by Lamata for example, it pairs very well with some chocolates or desserts.
Note: Chocolate cream pie with meringue, all day long and all night too. Raw sugar cane.
Palate: Sugar cane, molasses and more chocolate cream pie, please! Some coppery taste in there, some cooked agave, a little bit of greenness. This is really good and reminds me of a tepemete I have.
I’ve noticed that Angustifolia can vary widely based on terroir and region, which really challenges my initial assumptions about the maguey and gives me a newfound respect for it (I used to think it was on
jackstraw
34 reviewssalt; flowers
sweet kansas city BBQ;
dog food; jerky
cherry soda;
funk; minerals
#29
El-Dawg
211 reviewsSlight sweet and fruity smell…funkiness with a bit gamey, rawhide feel to it. However, the taste is a lot different and on the taste though…roasted agave notes that reminds me slightly like a tequila. Slight chocolate note at the end. But along with ‘harsh’ smokiness. Not as complex as I like, and perhaps (dare I say) better as a mixer in a cocktail.
Jonny
708 reviewsThere’s not much mezcal available out of Estado de Mexico, so this was a treat to taste. The nose is clean and has aromas of sugar cane, fresh flowers, and molasses. The floral element is similar to some tequilas that I’ve tasted, with a touch of freshly cut flowers mixing with vanilla and cooked agave. The palate has some nice minerality and notes of brown sugar and roasted malts. This is fine and I’ll enjoy the Melate bottle, but probably wouldn’t seek out a 2nd.
There’s not much mezcal available out of Estado de Mexico, so this was a treat to taste. The nose is clean and has aromas of sugar cane, fresh flowers, and molasses. The floral element is similar to some tequilas that I’ve tasted, with a touch of freshly cut flowers mixing with vanilla and cooked agave. The palate has some nice minerality and notes of brown sugar and roasted malts. This is fine and I’ll enjoy the Melate bottle, but probably wouldn’t seek out a 2nd.
free2roca
8 reviewsSomewhat funky soft nose. Light mouth feel. The agave is there with a pronounced smokiness, and some subtle fruits and salty minerality. The finish hangs around and is pleasant. Overall it is fine mezcal but nothing memorable.
Rakhal
421 reviewsBig sugarcane notes, like an Aguardiente and Mezcal had a baby. Also leather, vanilla extract, rock salt, and chocolate malt balls. A bit hot considering the low ABV. Surprisingly mediocre considering how amazing the Maguey Melate expressions have been for the last couple of years, but still better than average.