Wahaka Mezcal Madre-Cuishe is made from wild Madre-Cuishe agave, harvested after 12 years in San Dionisio Ocotepec, Oaxaca. The agave is grown in yellow soil in the lowlands with arid terrain. It is cooked for three to five days in an earthen pit using pine wood, crushed in a tahona mill, fermented for 10-12 days in pine vats with natural yeast and double-distilled in copper stills.
There is a noticeable minerality, umami and earthiness as well as notes of white pepper and grilled pineapple which the warmer temperatures and drier conditions of the volcanic terrain seem to have brought out in the mezcal.
Those looking for a burlier, meaty, and pungent mezcal will find it in this Madre-Cuishe expression That said, it is still accessible and quite engaging.