Mezcal: From Mexican Tradition to International Sensation

Mezcal has become one of Mexico’s most internationally represented products, largely due to its chraftmanship and character which have made it a highly demanded drink in both domestic and foreign markets.

Denomination of Origin

In Mexico, there are 10 mezcal-producing states: Zacatecas, Durango, Guerrero, Michoacán, San Luis Potosí, Guanajuato, Tamaulipas, Oaxaca, Puebla, and the most recent state as of October 2021 Sinaloa. All these states have the denomination of origin of mezcal and can legally label their agave spirits as such.

For the Mexican Institute of Industrial Property (IMPI), the highest administrative authority on industrial property matters in Mexico, Mezcal has become an engine of economic development, especially in areas
marginalized, since they are mostly small producers, who with the growth of the industry are obtaining
direct benefits.

Among the benefits that are identified from products with designations of origin is that of the economic sector, providing great opportunities to the producers in Mexico while protecting the consumer. In addition, the manufacture of products linked to origin or provenance strengthens the identity and traditions of the regions and in theory disinhibits migration, by providing work rooted in the territory.

ECONOMIC DATA

According to official data, in the last four years, national sales of mezcal grew 110 percent,
going from 320 thousand liters in 2010 to 650 thousand last year. Meanwhile, exports increased 137 percent at the move from 414 thousand liters to 980 thousand in the same period referred to.
The main export markets are the United States, England, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Australia and
Chili.

MEZCAL

Mezcal is an alcoholic beverage obtained from the distillation of fermented juice from the heads or “piñas” of cooked agave. The drink has been linked not only to ceremonial and festivities, but also with medicinal aspects. Mezcal is traditionally produced in almost all places in Mexico where there are agaves. While only the 10 states with denomination of origin can label their agave spirit as Mezcal, there is hardly any place where a type of mezcal is not made.

Mezcal production process in its traditional form is composed of five stages:

1. selection and cutting of the ripe maguey
2. baking or cooking the maguey hearts
3. crushing or grinding the cooked hearts
4. fermentation
5. distillation.

There is a great variety of flavors, aromas and textures in mezcals, which depends on factors such as the type of agave. used, distillation, aging time, etc. The most famous are: white or miner, reposado and añejo, but there is also the mezcal de gusano that brings a little chinicuilito to the bottom of the bottle; mezcal de pechuga and the mezcal creams sweetened with milk and honey.
The different ways in which rural communities refer to the maguey, the myths and deities related to the
agaves and their nectars, as well as daily activities related to the uses of maguey, are part of the
symbolic universe that transcends the material to reveal memory, the heritage of traditions and activities
crafts from the towns of Mexico.