Alma Libre Mezcal Cuishe

Alma Libre Cuishe is a joven mezcal made from wild Cuishe, a form of Agave karwinskii related to Madrecuixe and Barril. It grows in a slim, stalklike pina and yields an intensely aromatic, highly mineral spirit. The mezcal is produced in small quantities in Oaxaca by Efrain Hernandez Escobar, a fourth generation maker working in long held methods.
The agaves are roasted four to seven days in an underground oven, crushed with a horse drawn tahona, fermented in the open air with wild yeast and double distilled in copper. That route gives a nose of wet clay, grapefruit peel and a little herb spice over a touch of smoke, and a palate of fresh citrus, earthy mineral notes, gentle spice and brazil nut. Bottled at 45%, it keeps the dry, stony karwinskii character intact.