Destilado de Agave, Ramirez (Agave sp), 'Francisco Garcia Leon'

• Destilado de agave produced in Miahuatlán, Oaxaca, Mexico 
• Maestro Mezcalero Francisco García Leon
• 100% Ramírez (A. sp, unspecified agave variety) 
• Cooked in an underground conical stone oven 
• Crushed with horse-drawn tahona 
• Fermented in open air sabino (cypress) vats (tinas) 
• Distilled twice using traditional copper pot stills with condenser (refrescadera)
• 48% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

The first maestro who inspired the project which eventually became known as “Cuish,” Francisco García Leon, along with his family, are recognized as icons of Miahuteco mezcal. The family is both emblematic of the region’s local style (distilling with traditional refrescadera stills, often using Mexicano and various Agave karwinskii), and are notable thought leaders (experimenting with new hybrids such as Coyote and non-agave relatives such as Tebecuel, and they among the first to adopt distinct signage along Miahuatlán’s “mezcal trail”). 

This unique batch is an exciting example of that open experimentation, selected in person at Francisco’s palenque by the Skurnik Spirits team from California during a recent visit to Oaxaca. Ramírez is an unclassified hybrid agave species, thought to be a cross-pollination of Madrecuixe (Agave karwsinkii) and Jabalí (Agave convallis), the kind of phenomenon which is happening with increased frequency now that more maguey are being cultivated in proximity to one another.

Reaching maturity at an age of over sixteen years, this wild hybrid species shows fresh, racy, vegetal aromatics on the nose and prominent fiber on its dense palate. To our knowledge, this is the first time this particular hybrid species has been bottled for commercial consumption—we’re all lucky just to be here.