110 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | OCTOBER 2019
Tequila sales remain sizzling hot and
dwarf those of mezcal—$3 billion in revenue
reported in 2018 compared to mezcal’s $90
million—but the former’s rapid ascent has
surely helped to catapult the latter onto
consumers’ radars.
And so it comes as no surprise that
liquor conglomerates are jockeying to add
mezcal brands to their portfolios and get
in on the action right now. Constellation
Brands acquired a minority stake in
Mezcal El Silencio earlier this year; Diageo
purchased Pierde Almas in 2018; and
Bacardi (minority stake in Ilegal Mezcal)
and Pernod Ricard (Del Maguey) entered
the mezcal market in 2017.
Bars, meanwhile, continue adding more
and more mezcal bottlings and mezcal-
spiked cocktails to their line-ups.
It’s impossible to ignore the groundswell
of demand, particularly among those who
have embraced Tequila and are eager give
another agave spirit a try.
It Starts With Agave
The term mezcal is derived from the Nahuatl
word for cooked agave, the paramount plant
involved in the spirit’s production. While its
tall, spiky green leaves are an iconic emblem
of mezcal, it’s the piña, the rounded stem
that resembles a pineapple, that’s used to
make the spirit.
Once harvested, agave piña is cooked to
soften the fibers and transform its starches
into sugar. The agave is traditionally roasted,
although some modern day producers choose
to steam it to lessen the smoky character of
the final spirit.
The cooked plant then gets pulverized.
A tahona, a giant stone wheel often drawn
by a donkey or mule, is the customary way
to crush the agaves. A growing number of
distilleries have mechanized this process,
which is less romantic, but certainly more
efficient. Other smaller producers may use a
mallet or machete to smash the cooked piñas.
Regardless of the compression method,
the resulting pulp is fermented and then
distilled into mezcal. A small number of
mezcals are also aged in barrels.
How important is agave? Look at the
label of a mezcal bottle. The level of detail
is unmatched by any other spirits category.
In addition to the brand and the name of the
mezcalero who makes the spirit, the agave
variety (or varieties) used to make the mezcal
is often listed, as well as the state or region
where the agave was grown. It’s easy to draw
parallels with wine grapes and regions.Te r r o i r i n Me z c a l
While it’s tempting to hone in on a favorite
type of agave, experts point out that terroir
matters, too. To be called mezcal, the spirit
must be made in one of nine Mexican states:
Durango, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Michoacán,
Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas
and Zacatecas.
Some agave-based spirits are made
in a mezcal style outside the regulated
Denominacións de Origens (DOs), but they
can’t legally be labeled as mezcal.
Where the agave is grown and harvested
matters, but where it’s fermented and
distilled is just as important. Quality mezcals
are also always fermented with wild yeast,
which can have a significant impact on its
flavor and complexity.The Pioneer
Mezcal’s heritage is centuries old, but for
many U.S. consumers, the story begins in the
mid-1990s. That’s when Ron Cooper, founder
of Del Maguey, began to export single-village
mezcal to America. Other mezcal producers
soon also entered the market.
Cooper, a California native who started
his career as an artist, spent three months
during 1990 in the Mexican state of Oaxaca,
where he lived and made art.
“When not creating art during those three
months, I traveled far into the countryside
surrounding Oaxaca,” says Cooper. “About
three days a week, I followed rumors of great,
pure mezcals made by farmers, hours down
dirt roads far from the capital.”
He loaded his pickup truck with mezcal
samples, but U.S. customs would only allow
one liter across the border.
By 1995, Cooper had begun to import
bottlings to the U.S. But it wasn’t just any
mezcal he was sourcing—these were arti-
sanal spirits made by individual family
palenqueros (producers) in old-style villages.
Del Maguey became the first producer to
credit the village where the mezcal is made,
effectively creating the “single-village”
designation for the spirit.94
Alipús San Juan
(Mexico; T. Ed-
ward Wines & Spirits,
New York, NY). Made
from 100% espadín, this
mezcal’s light coconut
aroma is inviting. Look
for a fruity-smoky core of
charred pineapple, burnt
orange peel and coconut
that winds into cinnamon
sizzle and hits all the right
notes. Sip or mix into
tiki- inspired cocktails.
abv: 47.5% Price: $527
MAGNIFICENT
MEZCALS