One of the most common questions we get asked is "what is the difference between Tequila and Mezcal?" So - to answer the question, let's have a look at these spirits and discover what they have in common and where they differ.
Location
Where does Tequila come from?
Tequila comes from Mexico, and in fact originally was known as Mezcal de Tequila - Mezcal from Tequila. It had this name because it was a type of Mezcal made in and around the city of Tequila. In 1974, Tequila was made a protected term, and in 1994 the Consejo Regulador del Tequila was created to further protect the quality of the spirit. According to rules laid out by the CRT, Tequila can be made in five states : Jalisco, Michoacan, Nayarit, Tamaulipas and Guanjuato. Realistically, the majority of production comes out of Jalisco.
Where does Mezcal come from?
Mezcal is the original agave spirit made in Mexico since at least the 16th century when Spanish Conquistadors introduced distillation (although new evidence suggests that distillation was already taking place before the arrival of the Spanish). The fermented agave drink - pulque - which had been used as a ceremonial drink by the Aztecs since at least 1000 CE - is distilled to create Mezcal. Today Mezcal, like Tequila, is a protected term but can be made in more states : Oaxaca, San Luis Potosi, Michoacan, Guerrero, Durango, Tamaulipas, Puebla, Zacatecas and Guanajuato, although the majority comes from its heartland in Oaxaca.
Raw Material
What is Tequila made from?
Tequila is made with just one species of agave : the Blue Weber Agave. Agave is a type of succulent native to Mexico. Agave is NOT a cactus. The Blue Weber Agave takes about 6-10 years to reach maturity.
What is Mezcal made from?
There are around 250-300 species of agave, and around 30 of these can be used to make Mezcal. Some of these species can take up to 30 or 40 years to reach maturity.
Production
How is Tequila made and how is Mezcal made?
Cooking the agave
The first step of production for both Tequila and Mezcal is to harvest and cook the agave. Once harvested, the tough leaves are cut back leaving just the heart or "piña" of the agave. This then needs to be cooked to release its fermentable sugars.
In Tequila production, the agave can be cooked in steam ovens called Hornos, or autoclaves (a type of huge pressure cooker) for a faster production, or using diffusers for an incredibly fast method, but that is considered detrimental to the quality of the Tequila.
In Mezcal production, the agave tends to be cooked in an earthen pit oven. This is essential for the production of Mezcal Ancestral, but masonry ovens can be used in the production of Mezcal Artesanal, and even diffusers and autoclaves are permitted for lower grade Mezcal production.
Milling the agave
Once cooked, the agave must be crushed to extract the sweet juice. This can be done using a traditional Tahona - a heavy stone mill that is dragged around a circular pit. This allows for gentle extraction. More commonly, roller mills are used, which is a more efficient, modern method where the agave is moved through crushers on a conveyor belt. The final method of milling is using the same diffuser that is used to cook the agave.
In tequila production any method can be used. Mezcal Ancestral and Artesanal must be produced using agave that have been milled by hand or using a tahona, whereas lower grade Mezcal can use any method.
Fermentation
Fermentation can take place in traditional clay pots, wooden or stainless steel vessels and can use either cultivated or wild yeast.
In tequila production, typically larger wooden or stainless steel vats are used. Mezcal Ancestral must use traditional wooden or clay pots, Mezcal Artesanal and lower grade Mezcal can use stainless steel.
Distillation
Tequila must be distilled twice using either a combination of pot and column stills, or using double pot still distillation. Stills can be either copper or stainless steel, with some copper elements. There is no law to define the maximum distilling strength of tequila.
Mezcal must also be distilled twice, but typically uses small, direct fired clay pot stills for distillation, although copper and stainless steel columns are permitted for lower grade Mezcal.
Maturation
Tequila Blanco is not aged, Tequila Reposado is aged in oak barrels from 2-12 months, Tequila Añejo is aged in oak barrels from 1-3 years and Tequila Extra-Añejo is aged in oak for a minimum of 3 years.
Mezcal is not typically aged, but can be aged using the same terms as Tequila.
Flavour
What does Tequila taste like?
Blanco tequila typically has a nice sweetness and fresh green agave flavours of fresh grass and black pepper, as well as a little citrus note.
Tequila Reposado typically has the additional flavours of light vanilla from oak, and Añejo Tequila develops richer sweet oak flavours.
What does Mezcal taste like?
Due to the agave typically being cooked in earthen pits for Mezcal production, typically Mezcal has a smoky flavour that doesn't tend to be present in Tequila.
Additionally, the huge variety of agave species that can be used to produce Mezcal mean there is a bigger variety of flavours, depending on the species used. Flavours range from fresh menthol, to citrus, floral, tropical fruit, honey, leather and everything in between.
In a nutshell...
Tequila is largely made in and around Jalisco from just the Blue Weber Agave and typically has fresh peppery, grassy and earthy flavours.
Mezcal is made largely in and around Oaxaca from any of 30+ species of agave and is typically made using more traditional methods, including earthen pit ovens and small direct fired clay pot stills. Typically flavours are more varied and are often smoky.
Discover our range of agave spirits in the Spirited shop here.