Mal Bien describes this Espadin as their everyday sipper, and the “gateway mezcal” they offer friends who are just becoming familiar with mezcal.
About this mezcal
Mal Bien Espadin is produced by Lucio Morales Lopez in San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca. This mezcal smells of roasted meat, ground corn, and pine tar. On the palate, there are notes of leather, caramelized banana, and barley. An earlier batch of this was produced by by Don Juan Hernández Méndez in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca.
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.
Review this bottle
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TitoPuenteJrJr
3 reviewsThe guys behind MalBien connected me with Oscar, whose family makes this, and I was able to visit him and his palenque in San Dionisio on my last trip to Oaxaca. They weren’t distilling that week, but he walked me through their process. I know this is a “cocktail” mezcal so I was expecting the set up to be bigger or more of a factory, but I was really surprised by how similar it was to all the other smaller producers we’ve seen. As Oscar explained it, these guys just work more days out of the year.
We tasted the latest batch of espadín that they were bottling (don’t remember the number) – Lots of tropical fruit sweetness and acidity, some earthy/vegetal flavors, and smoke in the background.
Oscar also tasted us on a batch of tobalá that was pretty good, and a batch that was rested with some local herbs that was really cool – kind of like a oaxacan apertivo/digestivo that he says his mom’s family has been making forever.
Great espadín. Great people.
The guys behind MalBien connected me with Oscar, whose family makes this, and I was able to visit him and his palenque in San Dionisio on my last trip to Oaxaca. They weren’t distilling that week, but he walked me through their process. I know this is a “cocktail” mezcal so I was expecting the set up to be bigger or more of a factory, but I was really surprised by how similar it was to all the other smaller producers we’ve seen. As Oscar explained it, these guys just work
BKbobby
6 reviewsBatch CLM25 45.5%
Pretty straight up Oaxacan espadin. clean, some hard to pin down fruit, lots of earth, a bit of petrol. More than anything, I like that the smoke feels balanced, and doesn’t blow all the other flavors out, which seems to be the direction so many bottles in this $40 range are heading. Probably 3 stars if I was drinking it blind, but 4 stars for something in this price range.
KoalaCoelho
8 reviewsI’m sure there are better bottles for more money, but for the same price as Del Maguey, I thought this was way better. Not super smokey, and there’s some some sweeter and fruitier flavors. Much more interesting on its own, but also really good in a margarita.
Azi
31 reviewsBatch CLM10 (45.5%)
This is a bottle to buy your friend who says they don’t like Mezcal. light and refreshing but still delicate and full of flavor. Easy to keep on a shelf and therefore probably should be a mainstay on bars all over. Honeydew (with the same level of sweetness), lime juice, not really much more. But still delicious and at a low/no smoke point. Not to be repetitive, but this is st you should buy for your friend (if you’re on this site Iassume you’re a bit of a nerd); but your friend probably isn’t, but they might like drinking. This tastes good on its own and will mix stupid well.
Batch CLM10 (45.5%)
This is a bottle to buy your friend who says they don’t like Mezcal. light and refreshing but still delicate and full of flavor. Easy to keep on a shelf and therefore probably should be a mainstay on bars all over. Honeydew (with the same level of sweetness), lime juice, not really much more. But still delicious and at a low/no smoke point. Not to be repetitive, but this is st you should buy for your friend (if you’re on this site Iassume you’re a bit of a n
thomaselliott
14 reviewsMal Bien – Espadin 45.5%
Batch: CLM12
First sniff gets you a lot of roasted agave, cedar and citrus scents and it all works together in balance. No one scent dominates.
91 proof Mezcal that is smooth and easily consumed. Lovely smokey taste without any acrid intensity. The bottle was at 73F and the patio was a roasty 105F which made this room temperature Mezcal refreshingly cool in comparison. Initial sweet flavours of agave followed by a sourness that developed along the sides of my mouth and hung around for a long finish that included some black pepper and leather flavours. This is an excellent value and is such a good sipper, I don’t think I’d ever want to mix this into a cocktail.
Mal Bien – Espadin 45.5%
Batch: CLM12
First sniff gets you a lot of roasted agave, cedar and citrus scents and it all works together in balance. No one scent dominates.
91 proof Mezcal that is smooth and easily consumed. Lovely smokey taste without any acrid intensity. The bottle was at 73F and the patio was a roasty 105F which made this room temperature Mezcal refreshingly cool in comparison. Initial sweet flavours of agave followed by a sourness that developed along the sides of my mo
Rakhal
389 reviews1/2 ounce sample no batch number. Sandalwood, nail polish remover, Banana Now and Laters, cantaloupe, and calamansi. Pretty nice for the price.
Zack Klamn
508 reviewsBatch: CLM10
Nose: Ethanol, light smoke and a hint of tropical citrus sweetness
Taste: Smoke is light, a bit of burn entering the atmosphere then a hit of agave sweetness shows up but doesn’t stay long. Cojita cheese and mineral after the sweetness subsides.
Overall: Great value – solid entry-level espadin mezcal for a fair price.
SoloAgave
86 reviewsMal Bien has some great mezcal and this is a low cost entry in the big espadin space. Easy to use as a mixer but a little hot and punches you in the face with the first taste. The finish is pretty short so not ideal to sip and savor but for the price there are worse options out there.
SwatSaladin
19 reviewsCLM-10. A fairly classic, if ‘uneventful,’ aromatic profile. Bright citrus peel acidity, backed up by prominent roasted agave notes. You’ve really got to dig deep for hints of corn and fruits. The palate is bright, mineral-driven, and a little bit oily. The tropical fruit notes become more present here, mixed in with herbaceousness and spearmint. The finish is short, and fluctuates between being astringent or somewhat mineral-forward.
This is a really solid mezcal at its price point. I would love to make some cocktails with this given its strong, middle-of-the-road agave notes. I would be happy to sip this, too, but would get bored quickly given the lacking finish and complexity.
CLM-10. A fairly classic, if ‘uneventful,’ aromatic profile. Bright citrus peel acidity, backed up by prominent roasted agave notes. You’ve really got to dig deep for hints of corn and fruits. The palate is bright, mineral-driven, and a little bit oily. The tropical fruit notes become more present here, mixed in with herbaceousness and spearmint. The finish is short, and fluctuates between being astringent or somewhat mineral-forward.
This is a really solid mezcal at its price
CampStars
11 reviewsMineral-driven, layered, satisfying. Amazing value. A staple on my bar cart!
t8ke
144 reviewsRich on the palate – thick, but with an absence of heat. Sweet cream, lots of clay and pepper. Faint anise, some ashy wood smoke. Nice melon component that plays well with pineapple and crushed stone.
Jdouglass
8 reviewsCLM09. The short astringent finish makes it a 2 for a sipper and a 3 for a mixer for me. There’s an elotes note on the nose that’s kind of fun, mapping that corn note to the primary grain in bourbon led me to try it as a Oaxacan Old Fashioned and it turned out fairly well.
Van G
5 reviewsCLM-02
Not much on the nose, just agave with a tinge of sourness. On sipping, pungent and (still) sour, but not overwhelmingly so; no stand-out notes. Brief but slightly messy finish.
Overall, an average Espadin that’s solid for cocktails (friend-group approved in a Bloody Maria). A less smoke-forward alternative to the similarly-priced standards (e.g. Banhez Esamble, Vida, El Buho), and could be a good “gateway mezcal” for someone used to those.
COak
205 reviewsDecent espadin, I don’t enjoy it as much as the other Mal Biens I’ve tried. I get notes of sour apples. It has a short finish.
Gregg T&T
100 reviewsBatch CLM-02 by Don Lucio Morales Lopez. Herbal and bright nose with citrus and floral notes. Big agave up front, bell peppers with an enjoyable heat through the finish. Solid and versatile, chock full of value.
kozinnski
14 reviewsTropical fruit, corn tortillas, lots of citrus, overripe banana. Really, really pleasant and supremely quaffable.
Nic Hnastchenko
108 reviewsSolid, subtle, light.
Tyler
593 reviewsAgree with Jonny’s review. Good value at around $35 USD a bottle. This mezcal checks off the boxes for a cheap and versatile mezcal. Sugary agave, citrus, not overly smokey, and quick tart finish. Certain mezcals around this price range taste harsh, industrial, or both – this is neither. Give it a try.
Jonny
615 reviewsA good mixer for a cocktail and good for sipping as well. I liked this. I’d give it 3 stars as a sipper and 4 stars as a mixer. Big full agave flavor. Sweet upfront with some hints of sour mud and wet greenery. I think this would make a really good paloma.