Rey Campero Cuishe Mezcal

Rey Campero, meaning king of the countryside, is the single maestro house of Rómulo Sánchez Parada in Candelaria Yegolé in the southern highlands of Oaxaca, drawing on a family palenque whose roots in the village reach back generations. This joven is made only from wild Cuishe, a tall, slow growing form of Agave karwinskii prized for its mineral, herbal character.

Production is artesanal. The Cuishe is harvested and pit roasted, fermented over twelve days on natural yeast for added complexity, then twice distilled in traditional copper stills and bottled unaged at 48.3%. The nose is very clean and fruity, with passion fruit, banana and mango, while the palate brings chilli, lemon and mint over a light ember smoke, a fine fruit and mineral character and a warming finish.