Mezcal Cuish 'Ensamble Mixteca'

• Maestro Mezcalero: Pantaleón López
• Produced in Teozacoalco, Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca
• 50% Espadín (A. angustifolia), 25% Espadilla (A. rhodacantha), 25% Horno (A. americana)
• Cooked in a conical underground oven; crushed with a mechanical grinder
• Fermented in open air sabino (cypress) vats (“tinas”)
• Distilled twice using a Filipino-style hybrid still of clay and stainless steel
• Fresh leather, tobacco leaf, orange zest, salted caramel, parmesan, plantain, dark fruit & wet stone

Pantaleón is at least the 4th generation mezcal-producer in his family, living above a lush river in a small rancho community of about 60 people outside Teozacoalco. The mezcales Pantaleón and his family produce are, like the region, a bit different than anything else in Oaxaca.