Montelobos Tobalá mezcal made from the rare Tobalá agave varietal, will make its U.S. debut in July 2018 with a SRP of $79.99.
Like Montelobos Espadín, Montelobos Tobalá uses sustainable agave, however, several factors in production, location and the agave plant itself create a very unique, yet equally complex and delicious product. Montelobos Tobalá has a prominent green agave profile, which then gives way to a milder smoke, wood and cooked agave flavors.
Tobalá agave takes up to 15 years to mature. It is harvested and then roasted in an inground earth oven lined with brick. After roasting for five to seven days, the Tobalá is hand cut and put through a milling machine to further breakdown the agave.
The mashed agave is then transferred into pine vats to ferment for approximately ten days before it is distilled twice in copper stills powered by wood fueled fires. The process to create Montelobos Espadín is slightly different as it is first cooked in an inground earth oven lined in volcanic stone.
The agave is then mashed using the tahona process, in which a large stone powered by donkey crushes the cooked agave, before being placed into pine vats for fermentation and distillation.
“Since its launch in 2012, Montelobos Espadín has become one of the most sought after mezcals in the U.S. market,” said Shem Blum, brand manager, Montelobos Mezcal. “With the excitement around the Tobalá category, Dr. Iván Saldaña and his team are excited to bring this new expression, steeped in Mexican tradition, to the U.S. spirits market.”