Agave Playbook

KNOW YOUR AGAVE FACTS (CONTINUED)

TEQUILA: must be made in one of the 5 certified states in Mexico (refer to the orange section on the map) MEZCAL: can be made in one of 8 approved states in Mexico, but is most broadly produced in Oaxaca state. WHY ARE THEY DIFFERENT?: 1) They’re made with different kinds of agave. Mezcal can be made frommore than 30 varieties of agave. According to spirits writer Chris Tunstall, the most common varieties of agave used for mezcal are tobalá, tobaziche, tepeztate, arroqueño and espadín, which is the most common agave and accounts for up to 90% of mezcal. 2) They’re distilled differently. Both tequila and mezcal are made from the harvested core of the agave plant, otherwise known as the “piña.” However, that’s where the similarities in production end. Tequila is typically produced by steaming the agave inside

being distilled in clay pots. While some large-scale mezcal producers have adopted modern methods, artisanal mezcal makers continue to use this more traditional method, which is the source of the smokiness commonly associated with mezcal.

— Food &Wine

Regions / Map Varietals

TEQUILA 1. Jalisco

2. Michoacan 3. Tamaulipas 4. Guanajuato 5. Nayarit

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8

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MEZCAL 1. Oaxaca

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2. Michoacan 3. Zacatecas 4. San Luis Potosi 5. Guanajuato 6. Guerrero 7. Tamaulipas 8. Durango

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industrial ovens before being distilled two or three times in copper pots. Mezcal, on the other hand, is cooked inside earthen pits that are lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before

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SOTOL Chihuahua

BACANORA Sonora

Artisanal Mezcal vs Ancestral Mezcal

Three New Categories

Cooking

Grinding

Fermentation

Distillation

Mezcal

Pit ovens, elevated stone ovens, and autoclaves – diffuser use under review

Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, trapiche, shredder or series of mills Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, mallets, trapiche, or shredder

Wood, masonry or stainless steel tanks

Stills, continuous stills, columns stills made of copper or steel

Artisanal Mezcal

Pit ovens or elevated stone ovens

Wood, clay or masonry tanks, animal skins, hollows in stone, earth or tree trunks, and process may use maguey fibers Wood, clay or masonry tanks, animal skins, hollows in stone, earth or tree trunks, and process must use maguey fibers

Direct fire on copper stills or clay pots and coils made of clay, wood, copper, or stainless steel, and process may include maguey fibers Direct fire on clay pots and coils made clay or wood, and process must include maguey fibers

Ancestral Mezcal

Pit ovens only

Tahona, Chilean or Egyptian mill, or mallets

-MezcalPHD.com

Please contact your sales consultant to order.

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