The Mala Vida and Dos Artes Calavera is the kind of bottle that gets bought as much for the vessel as for what is inside it, and in this case both halves earn their place. Mala Vida is the tequila project of Alex González, drummer of the Mexican rock band Maná, who founded it after three decades of touring with the stated aim of making something that represented the culture of Jalisco rather than trading on his name. Dos Artes is the ceramics house whose hand painted decanters have become collector objects in their own right. For this collaboration the two produced just 2,150 bottles, each one a ceramic Calavera decanter painted by hand and individually numbered, and each signed by González and by Alvaro Molina. The skull motif draws on Día de Muertos iconography, rendered here in matte black on black with floral and rose detailing worked into the surface rather than printed onto it, so the whole piece reads as sculpture more than packaging. The tequila is not an afterthought. It is an extra añejo built from 100 percent Blue Weber agave and aged fifty months in a combination of American and French oak casks, more than four years and well beyond the three year minimum the category requires. That length of maturation shows immediately: the colour runs to deep gold, and the profile leans into cooked agave, vanilla, caramel and toasted oak, with cinnamon, butterscotch and maple threading through and a soft white pepper note arriving mid palate. It is bottled at 40 percent alcohol by volume and drinks without heat, which is the reward for that much time in wood. Meant for sipping neat from a snifter, and for keeping the decanter afterward.
ABV / Proof
| ABV |
40% |
| Proof |
80 |
| Size |
750ml |
| Country |
Mexico |
| Region |
Jalisco |
| Brand |
Mala Vida |
| Collaboration |
Dos Artes |
| Category |
Tequila Extra Añejo |
| Expression |
Calavera Limited Edition |
| Agave |
100% Blue Weber Agave |
| Age |
50 Months |
| Maturation |
American and French oak casks |
| Release Size |
2,150 bottles, individually numbered and hand painted |
| Bottle |
Hand painted ceramic Calavera decanter |
| Signatures |
Alex González and Alvaro Molina |
| Release Year |
2022 |
Tasting Notes
Color: Deep golden, close to pure gold.
Nose: Toasted agave and oak lead, with vanilla, caramel and a floral grassy lift, plus cinnamon and butterscotch behind. Spicy but without alcohol burn.
Palate: Rich and silky. Cooked agave, toasted oak and honey up front, with vanilla and caramel through the middle, then white pepper arriving mid palate.
Finish: Long and smooth, closing on brown sugar sweetness with maple and lingering oak.
FAQ
Q: How many bottles were made?
A: 2,150 ceramic decanters, each individually numbered and painted by hand, and each signed by Alex González and Alvaro Molina.
Q: How long is it aged?
A: Fifty months, more than four years, in American and French oak casks. The extra añejo category requires a minimum of three years.
Q: Is the bottle really ceramic?
A: Yes. It is a hand painted ceramic Calavera decanter produced by Dos Artes, designed to be kept after the tequila is gone.
Q: Who is behind Mala Vida?
A: Alex González, drummer of the Mexican rock band Maná, founded the brand to showcase the culture of Jalisco after three decades of touring.
Q: How should it be served?
A: Neat in a snifter or sipping glass. At fifty months in oak it has the depth to be treated like an aged spirit rather than mixed.
Q: Where can I buy Mala Vida Dos Artes Calavera Extra Añejo online?
A: Available here at Liquor On Broadway while stock lasts, with fast insured shipping nationwide.
