Mezcal Amarás was born from the authentic desire to combine world-class artisanal and ancestral mezcal with sustainable and pro-mezcalero practices. The project could only be birthed by the partnership of a Oaxacan NGO activist specializing in sustainability and indigenous rights, Santiago Suarez, and an established spirits industry veteran, Luis Niño de Rivera.
In addition to their core portfolio of Espadín, Espadín Reposado, Americana and Cupreata, Amarás also releases limited edition mezcals under their Logia banner—such as their Amarás Logia Horno, our Spirit of the Week from earlier this year.
The latest from this highly exclusive Logia line are twin expressions featuring rare agaves at center stage: Madrecuishe and Coyote. While both are beautiful mezcals, it is Madrecuishe’s flavor profile that blew us away.
“When we tried the cooked Madrecuishe agave in the distillery, we all thought it tasted just like peanut butter and wanted to have that amazing flavor profile featured in the distilled spirit—it was so delicious,” Amarás co-founder Luis Niño de Rivera tells Maxim. “We invite anyone who has a chance to enjoy a sip of Madrecuishe to experience its amazing aroma and flavor alongside the silky and toasted notes that the ancestral process imbues in the mezcal.”
Since every Madrecuishe plant takes around 25 years to mature, it makes for one of the most rare and coveted mezcals out there. It’s also one of the least sustainable, since for now it’s only been captured silvestre, or wild. That’s why in the years leading up to the creation of this limited expression Amarás planted acres of Madrecuishe agave as part of their sustainability program.
Once harvested the piñas are cooked in a traditional conical earthen ovens, milled by hand, then fermented in outdoor vats using natural air-born yeast, which Amarás believes adds to the mezcal’s rich sense of terroir. Lastly the Amarás Madrecuishe is distilled in small, delicate traditional 100-liter clay pot stills which qualify it as ancestral mezcal (as opposed to artisanal which use copper stills—both significantly more time-consuming and difficult than the “industrial” versions.)
“All of these factors play a role in our decision to make Madrecuishe a limited release, both from a production and sustainability standpoint,” Niño de Rivera explains. For this rare spirit Amarás tapped Maestra Mezcalera Diana Orozco Cruz to helm the distillation at their own palenque—one of only 11 women who lead the 174 mezcal and tequila distilleries registered throughout Mexico.
“Her process of crafting exquisite mezcals in both clay and copper pot stills requires a delicate balance of heat, science, nature, and tradition, transforming each drop into a spirit worth celebrating,” explains Niño de Rivera, a former brand manager for Pernod Ricard Mexico. “Inspired by her heritage and poetry, she captures life’s essence through scents, flavors, and the beauty of mezcal… she is an incredibly talented artisan and knowledgeable mezcal expert whom we are proud to work with on several expressions.”
These include this Spirit of the Week ancestral Madrecuishe, the aforementioned artisanal Coyote— its partner in the limited Logia release this year—as well as the latest addition to Amarás’ core portfolio, Americana.
Only 2,060 bottles of Mezcal Amarás Logia Madrecuishe were made, which means they won’t be easy to find—but are well-worth the search. $199
Follow Deputy Editor Nicolas Stecher on Instagram at @nickstecher and @boozeoftheday.