QuiQuiRiQui Madrecuishe Mezcal (700ml)

The Madrecuishe agave is part of the Karwinskii family, which also includes agave Cuishe, Cirial, and Tobasiche. Harvested between 14-16 years old, it grows mostly in the drier climates of Oaxaca, and typically takes a tall, cylindrical form. Due to the agave's dense core and low water content, mezcal made from Madrecuishe typically has high minerality and freshness with vegetal and floral notes.

QQRQ's Madrecuishe is made by Maestro Mezcalero Natalio Vazquez at his palenque in El Palmar. Agaves are sourced from both wild and semi-wild plantations in Sitio El Palmar, San Luis Amatlán and Miahuatlán. Semi-wild means that wild seeds are sowed in community or private fields and when transplanted, left to grow, as in the wild. True wild agaves are increasingly scarce and Symonds feels replanting wild seeds represents a more responsible way to enjoy these rarer types of agave. To this end QQRQ re-sow ten times as many seeds as agaves used in their Mezcals.

Tasting note: Clear. Oily and dense with a briney / fruity / waxy / dried herb opening sniff. Drifts lazily from the glass. Air contact loses no definition or intensity adding hints of menthol tobacco, white pepper, char grilled pineapple and dried fruits. A medium sweet, light to medium bodied mezcal with Islay-esque flavours of grilled citrus, tyre tube, wood smoke and a brisk, minerally finish. Elegant and remarkably balanced. The bouquet is first class. 47% Alc./Vol.