Mezcal Vago Madrecuishe

This is a single-agave mezcal from Mezcal Vago made by maestro Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez in Miahuatlan, Oaxaca, from Madre Cuixe, a tall wild form of Agave karwinskii. The karwinskii complex is one species expressed through many local shapes, and the cuixe forms lean dry, herbal and stony rather than sweet. Jarquin is known across Miahuatlan for his work with these wild magueyes, and only 137 litres of this batch were filled, with each lot varying slightly.

The agave is roasted in a pit, crushed with a stone tahona and twice distilled in a copper refrescadera, the second cooling pot common to the region. Vago works without additives in a traditional palenque. At 52% the nose is intensely grassy and fresh with wet soil and wild green growth, the palate strongly mineral with grilled vegetables and a rooty spice, the finish long, dry and savoury, every bit the karwinskii fingerprint.