Ecuador’s Agave Spirit Miske Is the Next Drink for Tequila and Mezcal Fans | Eater

"On the outskirts of Quito visitors can tour a distillery and garden where, under the equatorial sun, guides demonstrate harvesting the living blue agave’s sweet core with a small tool called an aspina, explain that plants must be at least ten years old and can yield up to about 300 liters before dying, and let guests pot and bless baby agave later planted in the Pomasqui Valley. The site produces a clear miske—often described as a rounder, softer tequila—and an oak‑aged sippable version with brandy‑colored notes of caramel and citrus; bottles are labeled with the 0°0’0" latitude. The founder frames the project as cultural and economic development, running a museum tour, working with Quechua women to shift from wild foraging to sustainable farming, and pursuing a Denomination of Origin to raise the spirit’s national and international profile." - Jamie Lafferty