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Mal Bien Papalote Capón – Barranca

Mal Bien Papalote Capón from Don Ciro and Javier Barranca was produced in the community of Chilapa de Alvarez, Guerrero.

Rating: (6 reviews)
Category:Destilado de Agave
Brand:Mal Bien
Mezcalero:Ciro Barranca, Javier Barranca
Maguey:Papalote
Agave:Cupreata
Grind:Shredder
Distillation:Copper
Style:Capón, Joven
State:Guerrero
Town:Chilapa de Álvarez
ABV: 48.7%
Batch size: Lot 0520CB: 36 bottles
Website: https://www.mezcalmalbien.com/, opens in new window

About this destilado de agave

Mal Bien Papalote Capón from Don Ciro and Javier Barranca was produced in Chilapa de Alvarez, Guerrero. Don Ciro has been distilling agave spirits longer than most mezcaleros have been alive. His grandson Javier, on the other hand, is relatively new to the family business, having spent much of his 20s in “el norte.” Working together for the past 7 years, theirs is a story of tradition, the passing of generational knowledge and its adaptation in a new era.

Lot 0520CB was produced in May 2020 using capon maguey papalote (Agave cupreata) whose quiotes were cut in 2018. The entire batch was just 36 bottles.

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.

Member rating

4.17 out of 5

6 reviews

Jam

Jam

149 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars5 months ago

48% abv, batch 1021JB

Review #82: nose has strawberry, grass, green grape, clean carpet, sour melon, and a bit of wet animal fur.
Palate is full of more sour strawberry, fresh grass, green grape, sour underripe melon, cinnamon, and the finish has a musty graininess.

Very good stuff with just a touch of funk. Lovely mix of fruits on this and it is balanced with a fresh sweet grass. The funk is mild but serves as a nice carrier of the fruit notes. The palate has a unique finish which i really enjoyed too. Overall this is a very cool pour and solidifies my papalote love

48% abv, batch 1021JB
Review #82: nose has strawberry, grass, green grape, clean carpet, sour melon, and a bit of wet animal fur.
Palate is full of more sour strawberry, fresh grass, green grape, sour underripe melon, cinnamon, and the finish has a musty graininess.
Very good stuff with just a touch of funk. Lovely mix of fruits on this and it is balanced with a fresh sweet grass. The funk is mild but serves as a nice carrier of the fruit notes. The palate has a unique finish which i really enjo

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Imperium

Imperium

97 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars6 months ago

1021JB 48%

Nose: Grape kool-aid, tarragon, wet earth, caramel apple, warm bread in a bakery, pumpkin seeds, gravel.
Palate: Cooked agave, minerals, rye, caramel green apple as others have mentioned, maybe some grape and papaya and peach in there as well. Toasty!

JDB

JDB

159 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars1 year ago

48% abv, Lot 1021JB

Different batch from the other reviews. I first tasted a capón from the Barrancas at Madre in WeHo in a paired tasting and really enjoyed it. This bottle I picked up from El Cerrito Liquor in Corona has got a lot of the same character and quality that first drew me to these producers. The nose has some spice and earth with a background of minerality. Flavors have some celery and celery salt, definitely a little briny. There is some sweetness that borders on tart fruit (think green plum or underripe peach). More of a white pepper spice and an interesting mouthfeel, which before I though reminded of a clay distillation but that could be the water source. I think on another sampling of a papalote from Guerrero, (Calzada previously, in this side-by-side, the Cinco Sentidos) I noticed a kind of green onion quality (the green part of the green onion, not the white). This one has something similar. These Mal Bien releases can set you back around $100, but I think it definitely packs some flavor and complexity for the price. Star rating is 4.25/5.

48% abv, Lot 1021JB
Different batch from the other reviews. I first tasted a capón from the Barrancas at Madre in WeHo in a paired tasting and really enjoyed it. This bottle I picked up from El Cerrito Liquor in Corona has got a lot of the same character and quality that first drew me to these producers. The nose has some spice and earth with a background of minerality. Flavors have some celery and celery salt, definitely a little briny. There is some sweetness that borders on tart fruit (

Read more
Zack Klamn

Zack Klamn

542 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars2 years ago

Nose – Warm sourdough bread – very cool, this “bread funk” smell. The roasted cupreata note is niiiiiice – sweet and a tad tangy.

Palate – Like biting into a candied apple. A smooth, cigar finish. On the sweet side (but by no means not too much) and funk-light for capon. But damn! This is tasty.

GreenspointTexas

GreenspointTexas

385 reviews
Rated 4 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Intensely sweet. Almost cloying. Otherwise, awesome. Chocolate rainsinets. Toffee. Sage. Basil. Nice

Rakhal

Rakhal

421 reviews
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars3 years ago

Lot:0520CB. Fresh green Granny Smith apples dipped in warm sweet caramel, tarragon, and crushed fennel. This is so delicious!!

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