Mal Bien Arroqueno – Ramos is made by Victor and his son Emanuel. They are the 3rd and 4th generations of the Ramos family.
About this destilado de agave
Mal Bien Arroqueno – Ramos is made by Victor and his son Emanuel. They are the 3rd and 4th generations of the Ramos family to produce mezcal in the Miahuatlán District of Oaxaca, an area famous for its abundance and diversity of A. karwinskii sub-species (madrecuixe, tobaxiche, etc.). The community of Mengoli de Morelos where they live and work has a population of just under 200 people. They are related to the neighboring Cortes family via Victor’s wife (Emanuel’s mother), Cleotilde, whose sister Cesilia is married to Felipe.
A 2020 batch of this Arroqueno from the Ramos family (batch 1119VFR) was an exclusive to K&L Wine Merchants.
Mal Bien
Since 2016, the Mal Bien team has been traveling Mexico, driving off the map and into mountains filled with treacherous roads, police officers of questionable moral character, feral dogs, indigenous languages, narcos, ancient relics, machete wielding protestors, insect based meals, mudslides, blockades, corrupt politicians, and many of the world’s kindest, funniest, most brilliant people. In addition to some hard to believe stories, they’ve connected with a wide variety of traditional producers, whose mezcal is now bottled and exported under the Mal Bien name.
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JDB
134 reviewsBatch 0122VFR ABV: 50.2% Nose: Candle wax, pine tar, and vinyl. Flavors of oatmeal, sweet tubers (yam, sweet potato), incense, vegetal and herbal notes, faint sweetness, soapstone, drying mouthfeel, subdued black pepper heat but that heat lingers nicely. I agree with Zack that the flavors linger too but these were not as sharp for me; they needed time to open up. There is a fruit note that I can’t place which may be close to plantain that he mentions (almost savory). Like Rakhal, I have sampled the sierra negra and liked that one as well. These feel pretty close but I agree with him that the sierra negra may be slightly more complex. This arroqueño is worth tasting by itself or in a paired tasting.
Batch 0122VFR ABV: 50.2% Nose: Candle wax, pine tar, and vinyl. Flavors of oatmeal, sweet tubers (yam, sweet potato), incense, vegetal and herbal notes, faint sweetness, soapstone, drying mouthfeel, subdued black pepper heat but that heat lingers nicely. I agree with Zack that the flavors linger too but these were not as sharp for me; they needed time to open up. There is a fruit note that I can’t place which may be close to plantain that he mentions (almost savory). Like Rakhal, I h
Zack Klamn
531 reviewsNose – Leather. Rose water. A nice balance of manly and feminine aroma.
Palate – Razor sharp flavors. Plantain. Chalk. Fresh fig fruit. Finish goes on for days.
This was a 1 oz. sample from Santo Mezcal in Santa Barbara.
Rakhal
410 reviewsBatch: 1119VFR. It’s interesting trying this next to their Sierra Negra because they are both subspecies of Agave Americana. They are similar but the Arroqueño is definitely more mineral and in my opinion not as good. Banana, pineapple, No. 2 pencil, iodine, lavender, anise, and turmeric. An interesting and well made Mezcal.