🌵 Mezcal

Mezcal is the smoky-reputation agave spirit of Mexico, often compared with tequila. It is a distillate of 100% agave, made by distilling fermented juices from the cooked hearts of the plant. The standard NOM-070-SCFI-2016 allows any species of the genus Agave, cultivated or wild, from the appellation area. Mezcal has a strength of 35 to 55% vol. at 20 °C.

The production method sets the category. Plain “Mezcal” may be cooked in pit or masonry ovens or autoclaves, crushed in mills and distilled in pot stills or columns. “Mezcal Artesanal” means a pit or masonry oven, a wooden mallet, a tahona stone mill or similar, and distillation over an open fire in copper stills or clay pots. “Mezcal Ancestral” allows only a pit oven and distillation over fire in a clay pot with a clay or wooden cap.

The classes describe what happens afterwards: blanco or joven is colourless and untreated; madurado en vidrio rests in glass for more than 12 months; reposado spends 2 to 12 months in wood; añejo more than 12 months in wooden containers under 1,000 litres. There is also “abocado con”, when ingredients such as agave worm, lime or honey are added, and “destilado con”, when an ingredient goes into the distillation.

The appellation of origin has applied since 28 November 1994. According to the regulatory council COMERCAM, it covers the whole states of Oaxaca, Guerrero, San Luis Potosí, Zacatecas and Durango, plus 118 municipalities of Puebla, 30 of Michoacán, 11 of Tamaulipas and 6 of Guanajuato. In the EU, “Mezcal” has been protected by an agreement with Mexico since 1997.

Why it matters to you. On labels for the Mexican market, the scientific or common name of the agave must appear, and if several species are used, in descending order of share. “Artesanal” and “ancestral” describe the oven, mill and still, not the age of the drink. And remember: according to the WHO, there is no safe amount of alcohol.