Pinchudo: before the bottle
Pinchudo came to us through friendship — present before the first bottle, still present now.
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Before there was a bottle
Pinchudo came to us as an idea between friends: bring mezcal made properly — by hand, at origin, with the producer paid fairly — to European tables.
And then, an ambassador
When the brand became real, the work changed shape. Mario joined them as one of their ambassadors in gastronomy, advising on how a mezcal enters a professional kitchen rather than a bar: which dishes it belongs beside, how a sommelier introduces it, what a chef needs to know before putting it on a menu.
It is the same argument we make everywhere else in this house. A spirit that nobody can explain is half a spirit.
Where it is made
In the hills of Unión Zapata, Oaxaca, the maestro mezcalero Jeronimo Gutiérrez Hernández grows Espadín on steep slopes — harsh ground that slows the plant and concentrates it. The agaves are worked by hand and watered by hand, and they are left ten years, against the five or seven that is normal. Smaller piñas, denser, more sugar.
Then: hand-selected at peak ripeness, slow-roasted for days in an underground oven lined with volcanic rock, crushed under a horse-drawn tahona, fermented in open wooden vats on wild yeast at whatever pace the weather decides, and twice distilled in small copper stills. Every step by hand. Jeronimo is the third generation to do it this way — he listens for the sound of the fermentation to know when it is ready, a skill that took generations to learn and cannot be written down.
The six
Six expressions, one maestro. Agave, strength and altitude for each, and what it actually tastes like.
Espadín 44%
Agave angustifolia · cultivated · 10 years · Unión Zapata, 1652 m · distilled 2020
Banana, pineapple and soft yellow fruit on the nose. Smooth and sweet on the palate, round and mellow, with a gentle mint finish. Rested five years in stainless steel to let it integrate. Excellent in cocktails and — unusually for an Espadín used for mixing — worth sipping on its own.
Espadín 48%
Agave angustifolia · cultivated · 10 years · Unión Zapata, 1652 m · distilled 2020
Ripe strawberry and soft red fruit over a buttery texture, subtle herbal tones, a hint of dark chocolate. More structure and intensity than the 44%, with a long finish and a clean biting edge that lifts the sweetness. Rested five years in stainless steel.
Espadín–Cuishe Ensemble 44%
Agave angustifolia + Agave karwinskii · cultivated and wild · 10 years · Unión Zapata, 1652 m and 1558 m · distilled 2024
Rich, herbal and woody, with cinnamon on the first scent. The palate layers herbal notes over the gentle sweetness of artisanal honey. Lean and crisp, into a minty herbal finish that lingers. The two agaves are married throughout the process, not blended at the end.
Espadín–Tobalá Ensemble 43%
Agave angustifolia + Agave potatorum · cultivated and wild · 10 years · Unión Zapata, 1652 m and 3000 m · distilled 2024
Pine and fresh-cut grass on the nose, clean and herbal. Ripened citrus, light mint and a hint of earth on the palate. Round and balanced, finishing dry and peppery with a touch of minerality and fresh herbs.
Cuishe 44%
Agave karwinskii · wild · 10 years · Unión Zapata, 1558 m · distilled 2024
Dry and earthy, roasted herbs and a touch of eucalyptus. The palate opens buttery and slightly sweet, then evolves into deep herbal tones with integrated smoke and wood. The finish moves from lime leaf and grapefruit into sweeter citrus — soft and round at first, then brighter, more acidic, more intense.
Madre Cuishe 43%
Agave karwinskii · wild · 10 years · Unión Zapata, 1158 m · distilled 2024
Rich and earthy, tamarind and roasted cacao. Deep and layered on the palate — mole, dried chilli. Dry and complex, with the subtle bitterness of almond skin and dark caramel. A long, structured finish of roasted spice and dark chocolate.
Taste it yourself
One mezcal, many possible flavours — depending on who is tasting. The best advice is the maestro's own: taste it yourself.
For hospitality professionals and anyone serious about mezcal: tell us where you are and what you run, and we will arrange a tasting — at the studio, or in your room.
Pinchudo Mezcal · Unión Zapata, Oaxaca · maestro mezcalero Jeronimo Gutiérrez Hernández
Bringing a producer into the right rooms is a service we offer.
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