Tequila or Mezcal

2 April 2023

By Valentina Romero

A lot has been said about these two traditional Mexican alcoholic beverages, now consumed more and more in different parts of the world. It is becoming easier to find good tequila and mezcal, both in shops and in restaurants. However, tequila and mezcal have always been there. They may look similar, but they are completely different and are manufactured differently. Tequila and mezcal do share a common origin: agave.

Mezcal can be obtained from more than a dozen specific species of agave. However, tequila comes from a specific variety and only those based on Agave Tequilana Weber or blue agave roots are recognised.

Authentic tequilas come from the regions of Guanajuato, Michoacán, Nayarit, Tamaulipas and Jalisco. Mezcal comes from nine states: Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tamaulipas and Zacatecas.

Another characteristic of these two drinks is that tequila, which is always made with blue agave, has a fewer variety of flavours than mezcal.

Types of tequila and mezcal:

White Tequila: bottled immediately after distillation.

Tequila reposado: stored between two months and a year in barrels after distillation. It carries certain woody aromas.

Tequila Añejo: stored at least a year in barrels. Añejo varieties include the so-called Reserve tequilas, which have been aged for at least 8 years.

Mezcal Joven: bottled immediately after distillation.

Mezcal Reposado: spends between 2 and 12 months in wooden barrels.

Mezcal Añejo: stored 12 months in wooden containers, with stable temperatures and humidity.

Glass-matured Mezcal: mezcal stored in glass containers for more than 12 months. This mezcal is stored underground or in a place with stable darkness, temperature and humidity conditions.

There are three ways to produce and process Mezcal: mezcal, artisanal mezcal and ancestral mezcal.