Enrique Hernandez
Mezcales con Alma de Oaxaca
44%
NA
This Madre Cuishe is harvested at 15 years old and distilled twice on copper by Don Enrique Hernandez. Much like the Tobala, this should be an interesting expression as I'm a fan of wild agave. Let's get to it.
Pungent fresh grass, basil, pepper, bell pepper and jalapeno. Intense and vegetal, smells like rain is on the way. Lightly smoky.
Sweet and creamy - a total 180 from the nose. Cracked pepper, rising bread, some really nice charcoal and minerality. Faint jalapeno pepper on the back palate with some ash. Faint prick of heat.
Medium in length, more smoky than sweet here with the vegetal qualities giving way to more ash and pepper.
I like this, the change from nose to palate is just bonkers, but the finish was a little pedestrian in comparison. Not a big flaw at all, but I have to give the nod to the Tobala here. This is very good mezcal, for the record, and Im especially fond of that rainwater note on the nose.
6