Cinco Sentidos (“Five Senses”) started as the house mezcal at Oaxaca’s acclaimed restaurant/mezcaleria El Destilado. These uncertified agave spirits from Mexico highlight diverse, traditional production methods employed by small batch producers who distill a wide variety of agave species. The various expressions embody the customs, traditions and history behind the spirits and people who make them. 

Cinco Sentidos is one of a handful of unparalleled destilado de agave ranges available in the US. The addition – joining the incredible NETA and Ixcateco in our import book allows PM Spirits to continue to be a strong voice in the destilado de agave landscape. If you know Cinco Sentidos, you’ll know we are not exaggerating when we say it’s really dope to be working with these products – and if you aren’t familiar, read on!

The man behind Cinco Sentidos is Jason Cox. To say he's smart and genuinely gives a shit is an understatement. An Indiana native, he studied politics and economics, has taught English education, and was a reproductive health instructor in Panama for the Peace Corps. He later went on to work as a medical interpreter with the Ohio Hispanic Coalition where he translated for the Spanish-speaking community, many of whom were immigrants. His work took him to hospitals and emergency rooms – places where compassion is a must. After some time, Jason decided to get into courtroom interpretation and that is what brought him to Oaxaca.

He arrived on New Year’s Eve 2015 with the intention of staying in Mexico to study Spanish for one month. Right off the bat he met Joseph Gilbert, a chef who’d just landed himself to stage at various restaurants and learn all he could about Oaxacan food and the people. Joseph introduced Jason to Judah Kuper of Mezcal Vago – on a recent episode of the Hey Hey Agave podcast, Jason said “He’s [Judah] been a mentor in some sense....and a good voice for how to try to build an ethically-minded business when it comes to Mezcal.”

So Jason spends a month in Oaxaca, studies, and of course he drinks mezcal and visits producers. Ultimately, he learns about mezcal production and is struck by the people making it. After returning to the States for his exam, he felt he could have been stronger in his knowledge of Spanish slang so....he went back to Oaxaca.

One thing led to another: he became roommates with Joseph, got a job in the bar industry, and made a lot of friends. One hungover day, he and his roomie decided to open a restaurant. Aren’t the best ideas hatched when hungover? They had no investments and zero business plan, but they had the passion, the desire, and the smarts. El Destilado – the restaurant – was born.

It took a while for them to get a liquor license and they pretty much lived in the back room for eight months. After a while the restaurant became a 32 seat spot offering a nine course tasting menu and mezcal that was purchased directly from the producers.

Bottles were labeled Cinco Sentidos; it became their house brand. Jason ensured that each bottle had the name of the producer, that there was complete transparency, and that the mezcaleros were being fairly compensated.

EXPORTING

The restaurant was doing well but there was only so much mezcal one could sell there. Producers had more agave spirit to sell and he wanted to be able to support the them and their families, while also surviving in business himself. The next step was to sell the mezcal on a larger scale, and Cinco Sentidos began exporting in 2017.

They currently have 27 bottlings from 11 different families at the restaurant. If you're fortunate enough to find yourself in Oaxaca in the future, El Destilado is a must-visit. Jason also has a reforesting project on the restaurant rooftop – seeds are collected from producers, they germinate on the rooftop and are then taken to a nursery to grow for another six to eight months before being planted in the fields.

So, what can you expect from the Cinco Sentidos line? Expect transparent information on where and how the spirit was made, expect small (sometimes tiny) and unique batches. Know that the families are producing real agave spirits, the way they and their families have been for years and years. We're excited for you to taste this stuff.

CURRENTLY AVAILABLE RELEASES

An ever-changing variety of expressions are available – to inquire, please take a look at our portfolio on SevenFifty. National distribution partners, please reach out to meryl@pmspirits.com

“La Colección Mixteca” is a curated selection of small-batch agave spirits crafted in the rustic distilleries of the mountainous Mixteca region of Oaxaca and Puebla. Each bottling explores the maestro mezcalero’s interpretation of subjecting agave endemic to the region to peculiar production methods and styles that have largely fallen out of favor in modern times. A significant portion of sales from the collection will be used for palenque improvement projects. Series 2019. 

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