Story

Mezcal is old, quite old. Its history dates to 400 BC, closely connected to ancient Aztec and Mayan civilizations. They were the first to make alcoholic beverages of agave by fermenting its juices – Pulque was their most famous. Nevertheless, when the Spanish arrived in Mexico, a new era began: local workers included the distillation techniques provided by colonialists to the fermentation process and thus invented Mezcal.

A great spirit was born, full of flavor and incomparable complexity. Soon, Mezcal became a hallmark of Mexican culture as a reflection of its people, land, emotions, and character. Hence, the so-called spirit is more than a drink. It is indeed a soul.

As its history goes further, it is easy to understand how much Mezcal tells about Mexico. On the one hand, it captures the marvelous nature, ancient traditions, and unique heritage of the country. On the other hand, it reveals the hard work of its people, the poverty, and the social injustices that Mexico had been struggling with for centuries.

Nowadays, Mezcal has evolved into one of the most exclusive and finest spirits worldwide. Besides Mexico, Mezcal is present in the trendiest restaurants and bars of cosmopolitan cities like New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Dubai, Sydney, London, and Berlin.

Traditional mezcal cup
Magey

Fascinating diversity

The appellation of origin of mezcal comprehends 9 different regions located all over Mexico; there are 12 agave categories which in total sum a total of 30 agave varities that are grown in these regions and that are use to produce mezcal; depending on the region, agave and the savoir-faire of the Maestro Mezcalero, mezcal can be produced in 3 different ways that are the ancestral, artisanal and industrial.

Regions

Agave varieties

Methods of production

Region

Mezcal regions posses different climates and geographical conditions: some might be more desert with dry weather but others are tropical but with cold weather and others are pine forest. Such conditions influence not just the type of agaves that can growth within but also the production techniques that can be used. For Tequila, this can only be produced in the region of Tequila - and surronding areas- in Jalisco. To talk about it is like describing a journey, an adventure.

Agaves

A great diversity of regions and geographical conditions results in a great variety of plants or agaves. There are 12 different agave categories that can sum up a total of 30 agave varieties as most of them are families. For tequila, only 1 variety can be used. Each agave offers different characteristics that vary not just physically but also in age (maturity as some can take 7 years and others more than 60 years; some might weigh 50 kilos but others can reach the 200 kilos; the height is also a variable as there are agaves 50 cm high and other 300 cm high; the most fascinating character is the personality as some can be social and grow in groups but others prefer to grow alone and hidden in very remote places. Fascinating right?

Production

Mezcal production plays a key role in Mezcal complexity. After harvesting, there are 4 phases in the production of mezcal: cooking, grinding, fermentation and distillation. Depending on the instruments or materials, the manufacture can be divided into 3 different methods: industrial, artisan and ancestral. The taste of mezcal is highly dependent on the manufacturing process.