EL PINTOR MEZCAL ENSAMBLE ESPADIN-CUISHE

Yautepec and Miahuatlán are two distinct Oaxacan terroirs — one producing 8-year-old espadín, the other yielding 15-year-old wild cuishe from higher elevations — and El Pintor's ensamble draws from both in a 55/45 split rarely attempted because regional availability makes it difficult. Agaves are cooked in an earthen pit, mashed by tahona, and fermented with indigenous airborne yeasts before double distillation in handcrafted copper pot stills. The result opens with sea salt, lime, and roasted pineapple, then turns earthy and spiced on the palate with charred earth, mint, and almond through a long finish.