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.

Nose: green pepper, vegetal Palate: green pepper, nuts and cream Finish: peppercorn, sweetness and citrus

This is perhaps the most reserved and yet aromatically complex of all the Quiquiriqui Mezcals, with a bright and perfumed, almost floral intensity, followed by sweet metallic notes, and some lingering fruitiness in the background. The palate is bolder, with meaty cured charcuterie characters and buttery sweetness, ahead of an almost ferrous zing and delicate wood smoke. The texture is supremely silky and slippery, coating the tongue before sliding away and leaving a finish abounding with classic Mezcal minerality.

Don’t be tricked into thinking this has any similarity to a Patron Café or Kahlua. This is unmistakably Mezcal, but here there is a beautiful balance between minerality and smoke, hints almost of oak-aged characters of chocolate and caramel, plus that fresh coffee citrus/sourness. After a deceptively dry nose, the palate its creamy and round, viscous, silky and sweet. There’s a great balance of bitterness on the finish so it doesn't cloy. Incredibly long, there are café nuances but they are very, very subtle, lending an almost woody/spicy profile rather than brash primary coffee flavours.

Mezcal de Pechuga is made when a finished Mezcal is re-distilled with local fruits, grains and nuts, and a raw piece of protein (typically a chicken) is hung over the still to cook in the vapours. Traditionally, this style of Mezcal is produced for special occasions and consumed locally, and there are as many different versions as there are distilleries. QQRQ’s version trades the poultry for a homemade vegetarian mole paste, made to a traditional family recipe. Crafted by Carlos Méndez at his palenque in Santiago Matatlán, this Pechuga uses the QQRQ Espadín agave as its base. Following the second distillation, the mole paste is added and the spirit is rested to infuse for two weeks before the final, third distillation.

Don’t be tricked into thinking this has any similarity to a Patron Café or Kahlua. This is unmistakably Mezcal, but here there is a beautiful balance between minerality and smoke, hints almost of oak-aged characters of chocolate and caramel, plus that fresh coffee citrus/sourness. After a deceptively dry nose, the palate its creamy and round, viscous, silky and sweet. There’s a great balance of bitterness on the finish so it doesn't cloy. Incredibly long, there are café nuances but they are very, very subtle, lending an almost woody/spicy profile rather than brash primary coffee flavours.