El Buho Especial Cuishe

Another rare and exotic Mezcal from El Buho, delivering savory elegance.

Don Isaac Jiménez is a bit of a local legend in the Mezcal community. He raised three generations of his family in the agave fields, turning the tahano stone, and running the stills at the Don Isaac Distillery. Brooklyn chef TJ Steele partnered with Pepe Jiménez Mendez to craft the “El Buho” brand of Mezcals starting in 2010. The name “El Buho” translates as “The Owl” — which adorns their hand-crafted glass bottles. They have their core Espadin Mezcal and seven other Mezcals that celebrate the fine differences between various agave varietals.

El Buho Especial Cuishe is an elegant and savory Mezcal made from 100% wild Cuishe agave. Like all El Buho Mezcals, it is slow-roasted, stone-pressed, and naturally fermented over several days in large pine vats. The Spirit is double-distilled in small batch, copper pot stills and bottled young (joven) at 48% ABV.

Cuishe agave is rarely cultivated. But since it grows much taller — like a Joshua Plant — it is often used as a barrier or fence between ranches and farms. The piña hearts are longer and raised above the ground on stocks and have to be fermented longer than other types of agave due to the lower sugar content. And although delicious, it is hard to find commercial Mescal made from this varietal.

Smartass corner:
The word “Palenquero” can refer to a Spanish-based Creole language spoken in the mountains of Columbia. But in central Mexico, it is the title bestowed on the local village “maker” of Mezcal using traditional methods.