Mezcal
Mezcal is a category of spirits on the rise, with more distillers in Mexico turning to mezcal, and more mezcal being exported than ever before – though it is still dwarfed by sales of tequila. Mezcal is a spirit that can be distilled from any agave plant. This is why all tequila is also technically a type of mezcal, as it is made from the blue agave. However, mezcal today commonly means a spirit made from any agave except for the blue agave, which is reserved for tequila. In practice, only about 50 or 60 of the 300 species of agave in existence are suitable for spirits, but it’s the method preparation – which involves roasting the agave pinas over an open fire – that makes mezcal much smokier than tequila, both on both nose and palate. It’s not unlike a whisky from Islay in Scotland. Most mezcal comes from the state of Oaxaca, though it can also be made in several other smaller regions of Mexico. Joven (young) mezcal is the most common; it is unaged and bottled immediately after the legally required two distillations. Reposado is aged for at least two months in holm oak or white oak barrels, while añejo or añejado is aged for at least twelve months in holm or white oak barrels. Mezcal can be bottled at anything from 72 to 110 proof. The best will be labelled as 100% agave; those that contain up to 20% non-agave spirits are known as a mixto.
Top Mezcal Posts:
A Field Guide to the Agave Used For Mezcal
Del Maguey Iberico Mezcal
Ilegal Mezcal
Corte Vetusto is a new brand to us, though it lays claim to status as “the world’s most highly awarded mezcal brand.” Newly available in the U.S., Corte Vetusto is a small batch, single-sourced mezcal that is uniquely distilled to proof, with each expression offering a different, natural, and uncut abv. While the espadin expression (100%…
Sotol is a tequila-adjacent product made both in northern Mexico and in Texas, made from the Dasylirion plant (aka the desert spoon), a plant that’s widely regarded as a weed that grows wild across the deserts of these regions. Turns out it works a lot like agave in distillation, and the product that’s made from…
Madre Mezcal continues to innovate with this new line extension from its ensamble offering, an “Ancestral” bottling made from Espadin and Tobasiche agave. (Note the bottle now reads “and” instead of “y.”) What’s an “Ancestral” mezcal? It all has to do with how it’s made: What makes Madre Ancestral unique is that compared to most…
Like your mezcals on the softer side of things? Check out Tres Tribus Mezcal. The company, founded only in 2023, comes from the same folks behind Mijenta Tequila, and the operation now boasts six different expressions of the classic spirit. The mezcal is made “using pristine water from the nearby Tidaá volcano aquifer and a…
Hacienda de Chihuahua has been producing sotol in the desert of Chihuahua since the 19th century, using a non-industrial process that seems to be unchanged for much of its existence. The distillery offers a surprisingly large portfolio of aged and unaged sotol, even a pair of sotol-based cream liqueurs. Today we’re taking an initial look…
The Lost Explorer brand began making mezcal on the Miztec land in Valles Centrales, Oaxaca in late 2020, with Maestro Mezcalero Fortino Ramos behind the tahona. Don Fortino has been working in the industry for over 40 years and now works with his daughter, who is training to become the next generation Mezcalera. The Lost…
Reviewing Tesla Mezcal comes with so much baggage I need one of those luggage carts to get it all out of here. I guess we can start with the answers to some basic questions. Yes, this is Tesla-branded mezcal. Yes, it is real mezcal (it’s made by Nosotros, which is a legit operation). Yes, it…
La Maison & Velier is best known (and rightfully so) for its world-class rum program, but it also releases limited edition bottlings of other spirits — including mezcal. The Palenqueros line is a series of “single palenque” expressions made in limited quantities in Oaxaca, each showcasing the name and photograph of the producer on the…
Fosforo Mezcal is one of a growing list of mezcal brands started with the help of famous people. But this isn’t exactly your typical celebrity spirits backer. The mezcal was launched in 2022 by Lisa Detwiler with support from her husband and “agave ambassador” Jim Cramer, the animated former hedge fund manager famous for emphatic…
Cinco de Mayo, celebrated on May 5, commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. While it is a minor holiday in Mexico, it has become a major celebration of Mexican culture in the United States. What better occasion to enjoy cocktails that highlight Mexican agave spirits? Mezcal offers…