Reviews / Alto Mezcal

Alto Mezcal

Alto (Agave americana var. altissima) is one of the wild americanas – taller and denser than arroqueño, slower to mature, considerably rarer in commercial bottlings. Fifteen to twenty years to maturity. Solo alto bottlings ship at $90 and up when they exist at all. NETA, Mezcalosfera, and a handful of single-maestro Mal Bien releases do the legible work. Heavy-bodied, savory, structural – a register that distinguishes alto cleanly from lighter karwinskii ensambles.