I opened this month’s booze reviews with a mezcal (this excellent ixterro amarillo from Chacolo) and so I may as well close the month’s reviews with another mezcal. This is a release from Gusto Historico, an outfit set up by Marco Ochoa, one of the founders of Mezcaloteca, a well-known mezcaleria in Oaxaca. They are relatively new to the American market. They feature mezcals that are all made, I believe, in Miahuatlán in Oaxaca. They work with a number of maestros but the few releases I’ve seen in stores in the Twin Cities all seem to be made by Victor Ramos (whose mezcal has also been released by Mal Bien). Such was the release, a tobala, that I reviewed just about a year ago and such is the release I’m reviewing today: made from the madrecuixe maguey. This species of maguey apparently takes a long time to mature and has a low yield, which means it mostly appears in small-batch releases. I think this may be my first-ever madrecuishe—I’ve only taken baby steps into the world of mezcal over the last couple of years—and so I can’t tell you how typical this particular expression is of the broader varietal. I can tell you that I’ve had the bottle open for a few days now and have really been enjoying it. Here now are my notes. Continue reading →