THE LAND

Though it varies tremendously in flavour,

mezcal tends to be a little more rustic than Tequila.

It is made in distilleries across nine Mexican states, many

of which use traditional methods and equipment with

few concessions to modern technology.

As a result, mezcal can offer us a clear connection to the

people that made it, the types of agave plant they have

used and their origins in the fertile Mexican soil.

Perhaps more than any other spirit,

mezcal comes with a sense of place.

THE RAW MATERIALS

While Tequila can only legally be made with

one species of agave,

mezcal producers regularly use more than 30 varieties,

each one deriving its character from particular

combinations of landscape and climate.

It can take a decade or more for the agaves to reach

maturity, at which point they

are harvested and roasted to develop the sugars within.

Traditionally, this takes place in wood burning ovens

or pits known as hornos

where many mezcals acquire their distinctive smokiness.

DISTILLATION

While the world’s increasing thirst for mezcal has given

rise to large industrial distilleries,

many producers still work on a small scale with pot still

made of copper or clay.

The roasted agave hearts are crushed to release their juice

which is then fermented

until it reaches an alcohol content of about 5-10%.

Producers then twice distil this cane wine – or mosto – to

create mezcal.

n their purest form, these spirits are a perfect

synthesis of the terroir,

the agave and the craft of the mezcalero.

AGEING

Mezcal has been enjoyed un-aged for centuries and most

producers release their creations

after only a short period of resting in clay or glass.

However, recent years have seen some brands importing

casks to create aged expressions like those pioneered by

the Tequila industry.

We are now able to see how these ancestral spirits evolve

during oak ageing

thanks to the arrival of reposado and añejo mezcals on

our shelves.

An exciting new chapter for this traditional Mexican

spirit.