Ask someone who has never tried mezcal what it tastes like and they will almost certainly say “smoky.” Ask someone who drinks it regularly and you will get a longer answer, but it will probably still start with smoke. That word has become the default descriptor for an entire category of spirits, and while it is not wrong, it is so reductive that it borders on useless. Describing mezcal as…
How gatekeeping is quietly killing the very category it claims to protect Picture the scene. A couple walks into a good mezcal bar for the first time. They are curious, a little nervous, drawn in by something they read or a bottle a friend brought to dinner. The bartender pours them something smoky and complex, and one of them wrinkles their nose and says, half-joking, that it tastes a little…
From maguey field to finished bottle, here is what separates artisanal mezcal from everything else in your glass. Not all mezcal is made the same way, and if you have spent any time in the category, you already know that. But knowing it and understanding it are two different things. The word “artisanal” gets thrown around constantly, in tasting rooms, on back labels, in marketing copy, sometimes accurately and sometimes…
Walk into any serious mezcal bar and you will find a flight card dominated by Agave angustifolia, better known as espadín. Order a sampler. The bartender will explain each bottle with genuine enthusiasm. But ask them why every pour is the same species, and you will likely get a shrug dressed up as a recommendation: espadín is approachable, they will say. It is consistent. It is what people know. That…
