Reviews / Cuish Jabali
Review · · by The Editors
Cuish Jabali
José Santiago's jabalí at 50%. The agave unrestrained
Score: 4.0/5 agaves
- Producer: Cuish Mezcales
- Maestro: José Santiago Lopez
- Region: Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca
- Agave: Jabali
- ABV: 50%
- Price: $170 ($$)
Verdict
Jabalí at 50% from a named maestro is the category's correct answer, and José Santiago delivers. The agave's funky, near-pulque top note arrives intact – no bottle where the maestro tried to 'clean it up' ever makes convallis interesting. Buy this over Del Maguey's Wild Jabalí for the same reason you buy single-origin coffee. The producer's name matters here.
Jabalí this confident doesn't care if it's weird
Tasting notes
Nose: Wild herbs, then pineapple skin, cracked pepper, a sour lactic funk
Palate: Jabalí demands 50% and gets it – José Santiago's Matatlán work lets the convallis' strange, almost-fermented character stand tall
Finish: Warming, strange in the best way
The bottom line
Buy for the agave's strangeness; you're paying for honesty
Where to buy online
We found this bottle at 5 US retailers. Prices and stock vary – click through to check.
- Madre Shop – $170
- South Lyndale – $119.99
- K&L Wines
- Hi-Time Wine – $109.99
- Saratoga Wine