Santa Almagia’s Tobalá Mezcal Wins Double Gold at 2025 SFWSC
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Double Gold Magic: Santa Almagia Wins at the 2025 SFWSC
We are honored—and absolutely thrilled—to share that our Tobalá Joven Ancestral Mezcal was awarded Double Gold at the 2025 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, scoring an extraordinary 97 out of 100 points. Among many entries from across the globe, our small-batch expression stood out for its complexity, purity, and reverence to the ancestral ways.
This is more than a medal. It is a recognition of our sixth-generation mezcalero Luis Arellanes, whose dedication and mastery transformed 466 bottles of Tobalá into liquid soul.
A Ritual in Every Sip
Crafted in Santa Catarina Minas at 1,560 meters above sea level, this mezcal is a quiet rebellion against speed, scale, and sameness. Our wild-harvested Agave potatorum is cooked for days in a stone-lined oven pit, hand-crushed with an encino mallet in a stone canoe, fermented with wild yeast in sabine wood tubs, and double-distilled in 60-liter clay pots. Bottled at still strength: 50% ABV.
The result? A mezcal that doesn’t just speak—it sings.
Tasting Guide: The Dance of Elementals
Appearance
Crystal-clear with silver sparkles and lasting pearls—signaling grace, structure, and intention.
Aromatic Profile
Notes of dulce de leche, caramel, wildflowers, lavender, pine wood, and wet stone. It opens like a walk through an Oaxacan garden after rain.
On the Palate
A structured experience: acid (3 sec), sweet (2 sec), sharp (6 sec), and then a salty echo that lingers. Retro-nasal notes of cedar wood, almond oil, and orange blossoms.
Pairing Harmony
Pairs best with unctuous, sweet, and salty flavors. Avoid acidic, spicy, or bitter foods. We recommend trying:
- Appetizers: Toasted peanuts with hibiscus salt, or goat cheese on toast with cranberries and cashews.
- Entrees: Non-spicy beef mixiote with caramelized agave flowers, or sealed ribeye slow-cooked with a toasted chilhuacle sauce.
- Desserts: Three chocolates entremet with blueberry and anise jelly, or Argentinian alfajores over pear sauce and fresh mint.
Ideal serving temperature: 18˚C to 20˚C (64˚F to 68˚F)
A Win for Ancestral Spirit
This Double Gold is a win for everyone who believes that soul cannot be rushed. That tradition is not nostalgia—it is innovation rooted in respect. That luxury is not excess, but intention.
To all who have shared Santa Almagia at your tables, in your rituals, and in your moments of quiet joy—this gold is for you.
Salud,
The Santa Almagia Team
