Rating 94
Produced In Mexico
ABV 50%
Availability Year Round
Price $132.00 
Reviewed By
Reviewed 2026-05-27

Cinco Sentidos Tobalá Cultivado (Alberto Martinez) Review

For agave fans, seeing the rustic, amate bark paper labels of this small maestro mezcaleros collective immediately triggers excitement. Indeed, this mezcal distilled from cultivated Tobalá (very unusual) by Alberto Martinez at his palenque in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca is quite special. The agave was roasted alongside encino oak and banana and willow leaves in an underground oven for a week before being crushed by wooden mallet. It’s then fermented with encino de aguá tree bark before double distillation and then being rested in glass demijohns. There’s a really pickled sensation on the palate, like pickled red onions, with a slight burning/smoky/mesquite sensation, backed by some corn notes, like street elote off the grill. This is outstanding mezcal, the kind you keep going back to for further examination.

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94
POINTS
Cinco Sentidos Tobalá Cultivado (Alberto Martinez)
For agave fans, seeing the rustic, amate bark paper labels of this small maestro mezcaleros collective immediately triggers excitement. Indeed, this mezcal distilled from cultivated Tobalá (very unusual) by Alberto Martinez at his palenque in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca is quite special. The agave was roasted alongside encino oak and banana and willow leaves in an underground oven for a week before being crushed by wooden mallet. It’s then fermented with encino de aguá tree bark before double distillation and then being rested in glass demijohns. There’s a really pickled sensation on the palate, like pickled red onions, with a slight burning/smoky/mesquite sensation, backed by some corn notes, like street elote off the grill. This is outstanding mezcal, the kind you keep going back to for further examination.

Reviewed On: 05-27-2026
94
POINTS
Cinco Sentidos Tobalá Cultivado (Alberto Martinez)
For agave fans, seeing the rustic, amate bark paper labels of this small maestro mezcaleros collective immediately triggers excitement. Indeed, this mezcal distilled from cultivated Tobalá (very unusual) by Alberto Martinez at his palenque in the Sierra Norte mountains of Oaxaca is quite special. The agave was roasted alongside encino oak and banana and willow leaves in an underground oven for a week before being crushed by wooden mallet. It’s then fermented with encino de aguá tree bark before double distillation and then being rested in glass demijohns. There’s a really pickled sensation on the palate, like pickled red onions, with a slight burning/smoky/mesquite sensation, backed by some corn notes, like street elote off the grill. This is outstanding mezcal, the kind you keep going back to for further examination.

Reviewed On: 05-27-2026