Mal Bien Mexicano Verde – Cortes is made with maguey Mexicano Verde by the father and son duo of Felipe and Ageo Cortes.
About this destilado de agave
Mal Bien Mexicano Verde – Cortes is made with maguey Mexicano Verde (Agave Rhodacantha) that are cooked in an underground oven for 8-10 days with the following types of wood: Encino, Yegareche, Mesquite, and Palo de Aguila. The agave are milled immediately after the cook by ox drawn tahona. The milled agave are fermented in open air tinas for 3-8 days and then double distilled in a copper refrescadera still.
Felipe and his son Ageo are the 3rd and 4th generations of the Cortes 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 Ramos family via Felipe’s wife (Ageo’s mother), Cesilia, whose sister Cleotilde is married to Victor Ramos.
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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cagliostro
32 reviewsMal Bien Ageo Cortes Verde (49.74%)
Lot: 1118AC
nose: cantaloupe, harissa, big red soda, aleppo pepper, buttery cooked turnips, kiwi, white tea, river greens, roasted poblanos, matcha, if a bell pepper vinaigrette exists…, with time mint comes out
palate: bright lime explosion followed by all the dark nuts, tobaccos, teas i love to find in agave, layered and lingers for ages, reminds me a bit of a malty beer, all softened with a surrounding creamsicle and fruity jelly beans sweetness, with air time i get stewed tomatoes and cumin
that has to be one of the best noses I’ve ever smelled on a rhodacantha. tons of complexity and continually evolving. explosive palate – does not let down after that nose. mouthfeel is big, coating but not really wet or oily. some drying effects on the finish. the finish is perhaps a touch hot and lands on a sort of fibrous cotton flavor, but I struggle to list any other fault. perhaps the complexity of the palate doesn’t quite meet that of the nose, but the flavors are right up my alley. this is a 10 in my book. love everything ageo puts out. edit: think i overreacted a bit initially. bumping down to a 9. edit 2: no i did not this mezcal is on my brain still and it straight up slaps and if anyone can hook me up with a bottle pls hit me up.
Mal Bien Ageo Cortes Verde (49.74%)
Lot: 1118AC
nose: cantaloupe, harissa, big red soda, aleppo pepper, buttery cooked turnips, kiwi, white tea, river greens, roasted poblanos, matcha, if a bell pepper vinaigrette exists…, with time mint comes out
palate: bright lime explosion followed by all the dark nuts, tobaccos, teas i love to find in agave, layered and lingers for ages, reminds me a bit of a malty beer, all softened with a surrounding creamsicle and fruity jelly beans sweetness, with
Zack Klamn
512 reviewsNose – Sweet, musty earth. Butter and brown sugar. Celery leaves.
Palate – Brown sugar. Ajwa dates. Turkey breast and cranberry sauce. Artichoke heart. Apple and Pear sauce. Salinity in the finish that partially reminds me of the seawater left in an oyster shell (I see Azi mentioned that note already and I concur). If I did a blind tasting on this I likely would’ve said cuishe – this is still a rockin mezcal.
Tyler
612 reviewsThis stuff is bomb. The nose has some interesting aromas almost like a tiki drink with some dried mango. It doesn’t make me think of Agave rhodacantha because it is much more fruity than the darker flavors found in Maguey Mexicano mezcals; this is Mexicano Verde so that must be part of the flavor difference. Notes of cooked dates, meringue, mango nectar, and a bit of salt. November 2018 batch.
Azi
38 reviewsBatch 1118AC from a Drammers tasting set.
Insane all around. Arak meets cucumbers meets green flowers meets…soemthing sweet and barrel aged.
aniseed, lavender, black pepper, pickled peppercorns, tamarind, candied lime peel. Oyster??? there’s a teeny bit of seafood. But I think I’m trying to find too much; just let it be known that this is delicious.
TheAgaveFairy
168 reviewsWow, sublime, all kinds of pleasantly charred green notes: grilled nightshades, ancho, lightly briny, kale, just so green, dried mint, coca, oolong teas, with some kind of fruit kinda like a honeyed kiwi that I can’t really place. Complex! Actually – more and more tea notes, green teas of course. Dark, brooding, dank. Fennel.
Palate: Oh so dark, with some fascinating spices. All kinds of dark teas, pu-erh and other black teas coming to the fore now more than before, the finish ends more mint and fruit driven.
Thoughts: Unique, fascinating, wonderful, I would love to spend time with a bottle of this!!
One of my highest ratings ever. Some traces of over-dank on the finish leaves it tasting just a touch rotten and sour.
Wow, sublime, all kinds of pleasantly charred green notes: grilled nightshades, ancho, lightly briny, kale, just so green, dried mint, coca, oolong teas, with some kind of fruit kinda like a honeyed kiwi that I can’t really place. Complex! Actually – more and more tea notes, green teas of course. Dark, brooding, dank. Fennel.
Palate: Oh so dark, with some fascinating spices. All kinds of dark teas, pu-erh and other black teas coming to the fore now more than before, the finish ends more mint
razorbackmike
142 reviewsfantastic!very unique.i would never guess this was a rhodacantha.this is a case of the nose matching the palate.its hard to descibe individual notes but more the sum of it all.all sweet with some banana-apple-pear mix and slight malt vinegar.i didnt get the fruit loop notes others had mentioned but we all have different angles on our taste buds.lovely-long finish with no bite and opens more flavors.masterpiece!
Rakhal
398 reviewsLot 1118. Aromatic and fruity! Incense, menthol, tiger balm, tamarind paste, and yes…I’m definitely tasting Fruit Loops cereal. Really good.
Wild Common
10 reviewsOk, this is some next level juice. LONG complex flavors will keep you smiling. Bang-up job!
pallzley
16 reviewsmal bien
verde mexicano, batch 1118AC
Nose of slate, salted cucumber skins, tamarind candy.
Acidic and noticeably saline. Very little bitterness. A little tannic. Palate of black peppered preserved artichoke, salted green plum. Orange (and dare I say ‘rusty’) sand, not quite like copper. Aftertaste of preserved tamarind, and cucumber. I have the slightest sweet ocean breeze taste 10 seconds later. I would have guessed this was made from a cuixe, and not so much a mexicano. Makes an interesting and fun negroni, few drops of xocolatl (mole/chocolate) bitters and a flamed cinnamon stick. Feels lower in abv than 49%. Challenging but interesting
mal bien
verde mexicano, batch 1118AC
Nose of slate, salted cucumber skins, tamarind candy.
Acidic and noticeably saline. Very little bitterness. A little tannic. Palate of black peppered preserved artichoke, salted green plum. Orange (and dare I say ‘rusty’) sand, not quite like copper. Aftertaste of preserved tamarind, and cucumber. I have the slightest sweet ocean breeze taste 10 seconds later. I would have guessed this was made from a cuixe, and not so much a mexicano. Makes an
Jonny
634 reviewsLot 1118.Crazy nose! Very dark aromas of dates, dried figs, overripe mango, and dark chocolate dipped cherries. The palate has some high peaking treble points upfront and is generally much lighter and brighter than the nose. This tastes like Fruit Loops cereal. Notes of strawberries, orange soda, grape soda, and sugar. This tastes like every color in a bowl of Fruit Loops. Wild and entertaining ride.