Wine Enthusiast – October 2019

112 | WINE ENTHUSIAST | OCTOBER 2019

Bartenders then helped spread the word

of mezcal through cocktails and straight tast-

ings. In 2017, spirits giant Pernod-Ricard

purchased a majority stake in Del Maguey.

Anticipating an

Agave Shortage

Mezcal is quickly becoming a staple at

U.S. bars, but some experts worry that

the industry is growing too fast for nature

to keep up. Potential agave shortages are

increasingly a concern, which could also

impact the Tequila industry.

“All alcohol starts life as sugar,” says Lou

Bank, co-founder and executive director of

SACRED, a Chicago-based not-for-profit

corporation that uses education, advocacy

and fundraising to increase awareness about

mezcal and those who make it. Compared to

other ingredients used to make alcohol, like

grapes, wheat or even sugarcane, agave takes

the longest to grow. The plant takes an addi-

tional four years at minimum to mature, with

some varieties requiring decades.

“During that time, it’s building up all

those chemical deposits that have fl avors and

aromas that make the end spirit considerably

more complex,” says Bank.

No wonder a common expression among

distillers is that “mezcal tastes like time.”

Danny Mena, a partner at Mezcales

de Leyenda, an advocacy organization for

mezcal producers as well as a producer in its

own right, likens the rise of mezcal to that of

single-malt Scotch. Prior to the 1960s, few

Americans drank single malts. That changed

in 1963, when Glenfi ddich began to market

its single-malt Scotch outside of Scotland.

But demand soon outstripped supply, since

good whisky takes time to age.

A similar fate hasn’t befallen mezcal just

yet, says Mena. “We haven’t planted enough

over the years,” he says. “It doesn’t mean

we are decimating the species. But it means

prices are going up.”

Mezcal Culture

While American consumers are unlikely to

welcome higher prices for mezcal, and such

raises might slow the spirit’s market growth,

an increase is good news for those who make

Mexico’s indigenous spirit. The mezcal boom

in the U.S. has strengthened the economies

of small communities in Mexico where family

producers have made mezcal for generations,

says Francisco Javier Perez Cruz, founder of

Unión de Productores Agropecuarios del

Distrito de Ejutla de Crespo, a co-opera-

tive of small mezcal producers located in the

central valley of Oaxaca.

“Mezcal is not only an alcoholic beverage,”

says Perez via a translator. “For us, it’s part of

the culture, part of the people, the history of

Mexico. It’s an artisanal product.”

Like many, Bank frowns upon the

so-called “industrial” producers that oft en

employ mechanized processes.

“It’s hard to fi nd beautifully handmade

spirits,” he says. “There’s care and intention

to them. There’s a heartbeat to it that isn’t in

spirits that are industrially made.”

Bank suggests that consumers note the

mezcalero’s name on the label of a favorite

bottling and follow their work. To not know

who makes your mezcal, he says, “is like

raving about a restaurant and not knowing

the chef.”

The popularity of Tequila may have

helped crack the door open for mezcal, but

the wild nature of the spirit is what brings

consumers back.

“It started with people who have so much

passion for the liquid,” says Mena. “People

don’t want it to taste like a cross between

rum and Tequila. People want it because it

tastes like mezcal.”

A GUIDE TO AGAVE VARIETIES

Most mezcals tend to be made from a single agave variety, although a growing number of blends, or

ensambles, appear on shelves. The following tasting notes, which span just some of the most frequently

seen agave types, come from the book Understanding Mezcal (Prensa Press, 2019), by James Schroeder,

also a partner/beverage director at Chicago mezcaleria Todos Santos.

“Espadín comprises most mezcal made for cocktails, as well as many excellent expressions for sipping,”

says Schroeder. By comparison, single-variety mezcals made from more rare agave types can be consider-

ably pricier, and many collectors save them for special occasions.

“This wasn’t always the case,” he says. “Palenqueros [distillers] create mezcal to be enjoyed, to be shared

and to be experienced.”

A fi nal note: Flavors in fi nished mezcal can vary widely, depending on where the agave is grown and how

the mezcal is made, so consider this a baseline guide.

AGAVE ANGUSTIFOLIA

Names: bacanora, castilla,

espadílla, espadín, pacifi ca,

Weber blue agave

Regions: From Sonora across

to Tamaulipas, all the way

down to Costa Rica

Flavors: Can vary widely,

depending where it’s grown,

but generally, the roasted piñas

are rich and reminiscent of

baking spices and squash.

AGAVE POTATORUM

Names: papalome,

papalometl, tobalá

Regions: Oaxaca and Puebla

Flavors: Tends to produce

mezcal with sweeter, nutty

and buttery fl avors.

AGAVE KARWINSKII

Names: barril, bicuixe, cuixe,

largo, madrecuixe, tobasiche

Regions: Southern Mexico,

specifi cally Oaxaca

Flavors: Cuixe, largo and

tobasiche grow quickly and

produce fewer sugars, which

offers bitter, coffee-like

notes or tart/earthy fl avors.

Madrecuixe, bicuixe and barril

grow more slowly and amass

more sugar, which produce

brighter, fruitier and sometimes

nutty fl avors.

AGAVE AMERICANA

Names: arroqueño, blanco,

coyote, sierra negra

Regions: Grows widely in

Mexico, with concentrations

along the South Pacifi c coast

Flavors: Can vary drastically.

Mezcal made from the diminu-

tive agave coyote can be deep

and dark, while those produced

from agave arroqueño, the

largest and slowest growing

of the bunch, trend toward

piquant and green notes.

AGAVE DURANGENSIS

Names: blanco, cenizo, verde

Regions: Northern and Central

Mexico, specifi cally the states

of Durango and Zacatecas

Flavors: Earthy and mineral,

which is indicative of the

region’s arid climate.

Looking for great mezcal cocktails?

Visit winemag.com///mezcalmoment