Life After Death is the 2025 Día de Muertos release from Tequila Mandala, and it is built around an idea most collector packaging never attempts: the two bottles are designed to complete each other. El Jimador and La Catrina each carry a skeletal hand painted across the ceramic, and when the decanters are stood side by side those hands meet in the centre. Apart, each is a handsome bottle. Together, they finish the picture. The story behind them is the reason the design works. El Jimador is the agave harvester, shown in his straw hat with blue agave rising behind him, the man whose labour begins every bottle of tequila that has ever been made. La Catrina is the elegantly dressed skeleton who became the enduring face of the holiday, wreathed in orange cempasúchil marigolds whose scent is traditionally believed to guide the departed home. Set opposite one another they represent a bond that outlasts death, which is the actual meaning of Día de Muertos rather than a marketing gloss laid over it. Both decanters hold the same Mandala añejo, made from 100 percent Blue Weber agave grown in Jalisco, slow cooked in traditional brick ovens, double distilled in copper stills and rested in oak. It shows roasted agave and vanilla bean over toasted oak and dried fruit, then rich caramel and cooked agave with warm spice and hints of chocolate and citrus, closing long and warming. Each bottle is a full litre at 40 percent alcohol by volume, and each ceramic decanter is painted by hand, so no two are quite the same. Bought as a pair, which is how they were meant to be sold.
ABV / Proof
| ABV |
40% |
| Proof |
80 |
| Size |
2 x 1 Liter |
| Country |
Mexico |
| Region |
Jalisco |
| Brand |
Tequila Mandala |
| Category |
Tequila Añejo |
| Expression |
Día de Muertos "Life After Death" 2025 Limited Edition |
| Bundle Contents |
1 x El Jimador 1 Liter, 1 x La Catrina 1 Liter |
| Agave |
100% Blue Weber Agave |
| Cooking |
Traditional brick ovens, slow cooked |
| Distillation |
Double distilled in copper stills |
| Maturation |
Oak barrels |
| Bottle |
Hand painted ceramic decanters with interlocking skeletal hands |
| Release Year |
2025 |
Tasting Notes
Color: Warm golden amber.
Nose: Roasted agave and vanilla bean lead, with toasted oak and dried fruit behind.
Palate: Rich caramel and cooked agave, with warm spice building through the middle and subtle hints of chocolate and citrus.
Finish: Long, smooth and warming, with lingering oak and sweet spice.
FAQ
Q: What does this bundle include?
A: Both bottles from the Life After Death release, El Jimador and La Catrina, each a full litre.
Q: Do the bottles really connect?
A: The skeletal hands painted on the two decanters meet when the bottles are displayed side by side, with El Jimador on the left and La Catrina on the right.
Q: Is the tequila different between the two bottles?
A: No. Both contain the same Mandala añejo. Only the artwork differs.
Q: Who are the two figures?
A: El Jimador is the agave harvester whose work begins every bottle of tequila. La Catrina is the elegantly dressed skeleton who became the enduring image of Día de Muertos.
Q: Why are they a full litre each?
A: Mandala bottles this release in one litre ceramic decanters rather than the standard 750ml, so there is significantly more tequila than a typical two bottle set.
Q: Where can I buy the Mandala Life After Death set online?
A: Available here at Liquor On Broadway while stock lasts, with fast insured shipping nationwide.
