Discover Miske, Ecuador's Unique Twist on the Agave Spirit

You can glimpse the equator from the garden at the Agave Spirit Ecuador distillery just outside Quito. Well, you would if there weren't towering blue agaves in the way.

Beneath the bright equatorial sun, Mayra Espinoza guides visitors to one of the agave plants, cutting a section from its heart to reveal a sweet reservoir inside. 'We take what we find and use this to scrape the agave,' she explains, wielding a small tool known as an aspina, resembling a spoon's head. 'Each plant must be at least 10 years old before we can begin harvesting. They can yield up to 300 liters, but they perish afterward,' she adds.

For centuries, the Indigenous Quechua women in Ecuador have harvested wild agave for various uses, from medicine to soap and weaving. About 50 years ago, rural residents discovered another use: distilling it into a spirit called miske. Recently, distillers have introduced this spirit to urban bars, launching educational campaigns—including Espinoza's demonstrations—to share Ecuador’s distinctive agave drinking culture while partnering with Quechua women to shift from foraging to sustainable farming.

Miske is now available throughout Quito, as well as in bars and liquor stores in Florida, New York, and Texas. Alternatively, you can visit the agave garden where Espinoza works, part of the Agave Spirit Ecuador museum tour, a growing tourist destination and one of two modern distilleries spearheading the miske movement in the capital. Miske closely resembles other agave spirits: it's clear, with a rounded, softer flavor akin to tequila, and it goes down smoothly as a shot. Agave Spirit Ecuador also offers an oak-aged version, reminiscent of brandy in color, boasting rich notes of caramel and citrus.

'More dining establishments are beginning to swap it for tequila to offer something distinctly Ecuadorian,' notes Tadeo Agama from Somos, a cocktail bar in Quito’s La Carolina district. 'It’s still a challenge to sell as shots since many are unfamiliar with it, but they love it in margaritas. We're also experimenting with it in other cocktails; we tried a twist on a bloody mary that turned out fascinating. We're planning to create a new drink with cacao nibs for an extra Ecuadorian touch,' he adds.

Similar to tequila, miske is produced from blue agave. However, while tequila distillers roast the piña from harvested plants, the Ecuadorian spirit draws nectar from the heart of a living plant, which can continue thriving for about three months after the draining begins. Distillers claim that miske’s unique flavor comes from this notably sweet sap and the special equatorial growing conditions, where plants enjoy more direct sunlight than those in Mexico (each Agave Spirit bottle proudly displays the coordinates of 0°0’0”). Lacking the global demand that tequila faces, there has been little pressure to adopt harmful harvesting practices for miske. Until recently, most of the agave used for miske was wild and organic. Visitors at Agave Spirit Ecuador even have the chance to pot and bless their own baby agave, which will later be planted in the Pomasqui Valley.

Diego Mora, the founder of Agave Spirit Ecuador, envisions a purpose larger than merely crafting high-quality alcohol. Ecuador lacks an official national drink, a title that could spur significant economic investment, attract tourists, and enhance cultural awareness at home and abroad. This gap is particularly noticeable when you consider that most of Ecuador’s neighbors each have a signature beverage. Brazil boasts cachaça, while Chile and Peru argue over the origin of pisco. Argentina has enough malbec to call it its national drink, and Colombia claims aguardiente, an anise-flavored spirit popular throughout Latin America and the Iberian Peninsula. In contrast, Ecuador seems relatively empty-handed, and Mora aims for miske to fill that void.

'We’re striving to change that. What we’re producing is the most culturally significant drink in Ecuador,' Mora asserts. 'Most South American spirits are derived from sugar cane, which isn’t indigenous. Sugar was introduced by the Spanish and has only existed on the continent for 500 years. Agave, on the other hand, has always been here.'

Mora and his team plan to create a Denomination of Origin (DO) for miske, which could set legal standards for its production, elevate the spirit’s status globally, and attract drinkers locally and abroad. However, not everyone is convinced this is the right path, including Eliot Logan-Hines, owner of another major miske distillery in Quito, Chawar. 'I think it's unnecessary. It seems like a bunch of Europeans overvaluing their cheese to me,' he laughs. 'Currently, no one knows what miske is, so how would a DO help?'

As Mora and Logan-Hines strive to educate the public about miske, discussions within the community continue regarding how the spirit should be crafted, marketed, and even named. In Quechua transliteration, it could be referred to as 'chawarmisqui' or 'chawarmiski,' meaning 'raw-sweet' or 'agave-sweet.'

Logan-Hines favors the term 'Andean agave.' Like Mora, he dedicates considerable effort to education. When he started his business in 2019, he faced challenges persuading potential investors at crowdfunding events to back miske. They would often question, 'If it’s so great, why hasn’t it been established already?'

One of his significant hurdles has been distinguishing miske from tequila, which most consumers view as the benchmark for agave spirits. However, Logan-Hines, who has Mexican roots, believes that tequila’s journey can shed light on what he hopes for miske. He notes that tequila only gained popularity among Mexican elites after it became well-known in America, and he hopes for a similar trajectory for miske. 'Tequila not only became Mexico’s national drink but also a vital aspect of Mexican identity,' he adds.

Tequila may also serve as a guide for the emerging miske industry, assisting distillers in addressing sustainability challenges and matters of cultural ownership.

As an outsider in Ecuador, Logan-Hines is especially aware of how he fits into miske’s national narrative. The native Texan arrived in Ecuador a decade ago to engage in a conservation project in the Amazon, during which he observed the remarkable abundance of blue agave in the valleys surrounding Quito. He also noted who was involved in harvesting the nectar.

'In the mountains, it's primarily the women who uphold the traditions of agave harvesting,' he shares. Logan-Hines dedicated three years to learning about agave from a group of women in Cayambe, who sold raw agave juice by the roadside. Today, adhering to pre-distillation practices, all of Chawar’s nectar is harvested solely by indigenous women as part of Mishkita, the nation’s first all-female harvesting cooperative. Once the agave reaches Chawar, it undergoes spontaneous fermentation with no added yeast, followed by double distillation, capturing an authentic taste of the Ecuadorian plant.

'I firmly believe in the cooperative model of agricultural production in Latin America,' Logan-Hines states. 'Much like labor unions, cooperatives provide a way to organize producers and strengthen their negotiating power within supply chains.' His background in agriculture and forestry has enabled Logan-Hines to forge a sustainable path for his miske, benefiting both the agave plants and the people who harvest them.

'One of the biggest challenges we face as we expand is ensuring these women continue to gain from the supply chain,' he adds. 'As smallholder farmers, there’s a natural limit to how much agave each farm can yield and, consequently, how much income each farming family can earn. By collaborating to develop sustainable, polyculture farms, these women can plant agave for future harvests while growing annual crops for supplemental income or family use in the meantime.'

Despite the challenges of promoting a new product during the pandemic, the values and mission behind miske are resonating with American customers. 'We’re really into mezcal, and while this isn’t the same, it also stems from agave culture,' notes Josh Bloom, owner of Duke’s Liquor Box in Brooklyn, one of the retailers importing miske to the U.S. Duke’s clientele is generally knowledgeable and curious, making miske an exciting new option. 'The microculture surrounding the agave juice is fantastic, and I appreciate that it’s predominantly women in cooperatives doing so much of the work. That really excites us,' Bloom adds. 'Plus, the product is excellent, so importing it to the States was an obvious choice.'

And, just as Logan-Hines envisioned, exporting to America may help miske carve out a niche in its native country as well. 'It’s fascinating how much it resonates with Ecuadorian expats,' he remarks. 'When we launched in Miami, a few Ecuadorians happened to stroll by and ended up celebrating with us all night.'

Jamie Lafferty is a travel writer and photographer residing in Glasgow, Scotland. He earned the title of Consumer Travel Writer of the Year in 2020. Discover more of his work at jamielafferty.com and on instagram/travel_journo. Elena Boils is a freelance illustrator living in London.