Reviews / Armadillo Negro Espadin, Madrecuishe, Bicuishe
Review ·
Armadillo Negro Espadin, Madrecuishe, Bicuishe
Don Valente Angel's three-agave blend under the Armadillo Negro label
Score: 3.5/5 agaves
- Producer: Armadillo Negro Mezcal
- Maestro: Valente Angel García
- Region: Santa Maria La Pila, Oaxaca
- Agave: Bicuishe, Espadin, Madrecuishe
- Price: $40–90 ($$)
Verdict
No consensus to reference and a missing ABV makes this harder to grade with confidence. Don Valente Angel's work elsewhere in the catalog (the Alipus XX Aniversario release) lands in the mid-3s, and this reads similarly – clean, non-embarrassing, not essential. If you're tracking the maestro take the Alipus bottle first; Armadillo Negro seems to be a secondary label. Compared to Nuestra Soledad or Mezcalero single-village releases, less distinctive.
The maestro is the draw; the label is window dressing
Tasting notes
Nose: Wet stone, green cucumber, faint herb
Palate: The blend is competently constructed – espadín as base, two karwinskii variants layered on top. Without an ABV listed we're reading it as mid-proof, which means the madrecuishe specifically may be running a shade light
Finish: Mineral, clean – medium
The bottom line
Pass for the Alipus XX Aniversario if you want Don Valente