Montelobos Tobalá Launches

The creators of Montelobos Espadín, recipient of the multiple Double Gold medals at the acclaimed San Francisco World Spirits Competition, announce the launch of Montelobos Tobalá.

This highly anticipated spirit, made from the exceptional Tobalá varietal of agave and sustainably produced in Puebla, Mexico, has made its debut with an SRP of $99.99. Both Montelobos Espadín and Tobalá will feature updated packaging, elegantly designed to reflect the liquid within.

Montelobos Mezcal Espadín was created by the world’s foremost agave expert, Dr. Iván Saldaña. By crafting a mezcal with supreme complexity and a perfect balance, Saldaña created a spirit unique from any other within the category. With Tobalá, Saldaña has once again melded his deep understanding of agave spirits with traditional mezcal production techniques to create an extraordinary new expression. The agave utilized (Agave potatorum, commonly known as Tobalá), is carefully transformed to obtain what Iván considers to be an “ultra-pure expression of Tobalá flavors,” offering a deep insight into this highly coveted agave variety. While nearly all commercially available Tobalás are made using wild agave, Montelobos Tobalá is unique in its utilization of only sustainably produced Tobalá, cultivated from seed in Puebla, Mexico.

Montelobos Tobalá similar to Montelobos Espadín, 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 Espadín is balanced with notes of wood, smoke, green agave and cooked agave. Montelobos Tobalá, on the other hand, has a more prominent green agave profile, which then gives way to a milder smoke, wood and cooked agave flavors.

“Montelobos Tobalá was born of wild agave seeds, germinated against all odds, and sustainably nurtured for more than a decade. Every sip provides intense herbal notes full of constructive provocation, inviting consumers and producers to move from wild agave exploitation to sustainable agave cultivation.”
– Dr. Iván Saldaña, World’s Foremost Agave Expert

Agave Espadín accounts for about 90% of mezcal production, while Tobalá is a rarer variety of agave that generally grows in the wild in rocky terrain and shady soil at high altitudes. For Montelobos, Puebla, Mexico was the ideal location to cultivate and produce their Tobalá, whereas their Espadín comes from Oaxaca, Mexico. Montelobos collaborates with two Master Mescalero families, the López Family in Oaxaca and the Alva Family in Puebla, to produce their mezcal. Through these families, Montelobos has complete control of their supply of agave, both Tobalá and Espadín. As a result, the brand can continue to produce consistently award-winning mezcal for years to come, replenishing agave as needed.

Tobalá agave takes up to 15 years to mature. It is harvested and then roasted in an in-ground 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 used to create Montelobos Espadín is slightly different as it is first cooked in an in-ground earth oven lined in volcanic stone. The agave is then mashed using the tahona process, in which a large stone pulled by a mule crushes the cooked agave, before being placed into pine vats for fermentation and distilled twice in copper stills powered by wood fueled fires.

“Since its launch in 2012, Montelobos Espadín has become one of the most sought after mezcals in the U.S. market. With all of the excitement surrounding the Tobalá category, Dr. Iván Saldaña and his team are thrilled to bring this new expression, sustainably produced and steeped in Mexican tradition, to the U.S. spirits market.”
– Shem Blum, Brand Manager, Montelobos Mezcal

Montelobos is owned by Casa Lumbre, a company dedicated to “farm-to-bottle” Mexican premium spirits with sensorial uniqueness. With a strong focus on place of origin, sustainability and original production methods, Casa Lumbre works directly with farmers and local producers establishing fair, long term supply agreements. Casa Lumbre builds virtuous and dignifying relationships by helping their production and farming partners, including their families and their communities, by providing technical support, long term and no interest rate loans, investing in infrastructure on their behalf, and fixing fair purchasing prices independently from market speculation. Casa Lumbre stands for recognizing and improving the position of the farmers and other associates, to create a freer, fairer, honest and enriching reality for all.