How to master mezcal

Long before there was tequila, before there was a state of Mexico, there was mezcal. The agave plant – which is roasted, fermented and distilled to produce this traditional spirit – has been a part of life in the region for millennia. When the first stills arrived there in the 16th century they were quickly set to work distilling the local fermented agave wine, and mezcal was born.

Today, these intensely characterful spirits are being embraced by bartenders, natural wine types and foodies of every stripe across the world. This is partly due to the fact that mezcal offers a fascinating connection to the place it was made. A good bottle is the sum total of a single species of agave, grown in a single region, and shaped by the hand of a single master distiller. They are wild, often funky and absolutely delicious. They are, however, not all created equal. With that in mind, here is a taste test to help you pick the perfect mezcal for you. 

Derrumbes Michoacán, 49.3%

The nice thing about a bottler such as Derrumbes is the wealth of information they give you on the label. They let you know about the type of agave used (cupreata and alto in this case), the way it was fermented (wooden vats with natural yeast and agave fibres) and the manner of distillation (copper pot still). With spirits you often get a nice story rather than a true story, so this kind of transparency is refreshing. 

This one is bottled at natural strength without added water and that extra heft is apparent as soon as you pour. It’s an oily spirit packed with grapefruit, hops, spruce and woody herbs. On the palate you’ll get proving bread, lime-flavoured sweets, chalky white wines and fine, mineral smokiness. These vary a little in character and strength from one vintage to the next, but that’s just a reminder that you’re dealing with something handmade. It’s a bit cringe-inducing to talk about ‘authenticity’ in drinks so we’ll just say this is a spirit with integrity.

An absolute stunner and a great place to start our taste test. Pair it with white fish or give it as a gift to someone who likes orange wine. 

£58.95, The Whisky Exchange

Score: 9.5/10

Lost Explorer Tobalá, 42%

One of the things that makes mezcal a hard sell in these parts is that we’ve come to think of age as the marker of quality in spirits. To many drinkers, a perfectly clear mezcal that’s never seen the inside of a cask might seem punchily priced at north of £100. However, when we understand that the agave plant used to make that mezcal may have taken many decades to mature – all the while growing more chemically complex and flavourful – that kind of bar bill starts to make sense.

Bottler Lost Explorer includes the age of the agaves using in each bottling on its labels. While knowing that your mezcal is made from ten-year-old agaves doesn’t quite equate to, say, the age statement on a bottle of whisky, it’s definitely good information to have. It’s a case of clever marketing that’s thankfully backed up by some equally clever spirit.  

The Tobalá is intensely fruity on the nose with pineapple, candied peel and plantain – honestly quite a lot like a funky Jamaican rum. There’s an ashy smokiness on the palate that grounds those tropical notes and leads nicely into a long finish full of black pepper, dark chocolate and violets. Really very good and sure to convert agave sceptics.

£114.99, The Lost Explorer

Score: 9/10

Ilegal Mezcal Joven, 40%

One of the first mezcal brands to arrive in the UK about a decade ago, Ilegal is sourced in Oaxaca but it made its name in Guatemala. The story goes that the expat owners of Café No Sé in Antigua began bringing mezcal across the border (by any means necessary) to fuel late-night sessions at the bar. So popular were these parties that they wound up developing an internationally successful brand in the process.

One of the sources of flavour in mezcal is the fuel used to roast the agaves and develop their sugars prior to fermentation. In the case of Ilegal, the producers use mesquite and eucalyptus wood which is immediately apparent when you get it in the glass. An initially fruity nose of Granny Smith apples and green banana gives way to menthol cigarettes, petrol-y Riesling and barbecue smoke. It’s idiosyncratic, for sure, but that’s one of the great appeals of mezcal. To taste, Ilegal Joven is brilliantly clean and direct with a little more mint, lime zest, stony minerality and white pepper.

There are funkier, more robust mezcals out there but there’s a crystal clarity to this that’s very appealing. You could mix this 4:1 with dry vermouth, stir it over ice and serve it like a martini.

£48.95, The Whisky Exchange

Score: 7/10

Dos Hombres, 42%

In 2017 a certain Mr George Clooney sold the tequila brand he’d cooked up with a couple of buddies to drinks giant Diageo for somewhere in the region of $1 billion. This was an unprecedented payday even for one of Hollywood’s highest grossing actors and so scores of celebs were inspired to wade into agave spirits in his wake. Most stuck to tequila, but a few have tried their hand at mezcal, most notably Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul – everyone’s favourite pair of drug-dealing rascals from Breaking Bad.

What you have here is a more modern mezcal, crafted for balance and – dare we say – politeness. You get lots of green apple sweets, limoncello and a twang of apple cider vinegar – there’s also sweet corn and icing sugar on the back of the palate that bring to mind vodka. Not much smoke to speak of but then mezcal isn’t always smoky. Overall, this is well-made and drinkable but it lacks a bit of the character and weirdness that marks out really great mezcal. Still, not a bad gateway for tequila drinkers and very nice served long with ice, soda and a slice of grapefruit.

£55.84, Master of Malt

Score: 5/10

Clase Azul Mezcal Guerrero, 40%

There are plenty of opportunistic mezcal brands in the UK at the moment jostling for market share with fancy glassware and middling spirit. Clase Azul, thankfully, is not one of those. Yes, the towering bottle is clearly aimed at big spenders with conspicuous consumption on their minds, but the quality of the mezcal on offer speaks for itself.

Made with agave cupreata from the mountain of Guerrero in south-western Mexico, this a serious spirit hiding in a pretty blue bottle. Much smokier than the preceding tastings, it’s intensely aromatic with smoked paprika, ham, grilled pineapple and barbecue sauce on the nose. The palate brings a big hit of umami like white miso, toffee and good salty butter. There’s also some bitter greens, plums and a wisp of pipe smoke right at the end.

You’d put this toe-to-toe with a peaty Islay whisky and find it punching well above its weight. That savoury edge makes this potentially more challenging than the lighter choices in this line-up but it’s characterful and complex and probably worth the (admittedly high) price tag.

£460, Selfridges

Score: 9/10

Codigo 1530 Ancestral, 43.1%

Ancestral mezcals are distilled using small, traditional pot stills made from clay and wood. This is by no means the easiest or most efficient way to distil alcohol, but the depth and texture it imparts are difficult to beat. This expression is an excellent example of the style, fat and oily with a backbone of seawater, fresh oregano and smoked chilli. Behind those umami notes there’s also a lighter side, with lemon, honey and butter. It’s a little austere at times, but it’s excellently put together.

We’re at the higher end of the price range once again with this one, but the craftsmanship on display is clear. This is a handmade spirit, produced without modern technologies, by people who care. One for seasoned spirits drinkers certainly, but open this with the right crowd and you’ll be called a hero.

£173, Hedonism

Score: 8.5/10

Ojo de Dios, 42%

An excellent gateway mezcal from bar industry darlings Ojo de Dios. There’s a tendency in drinks circles for people to describe things as ‘good for beginners’ when they really mean light and generally inoffensive. This isn’t one of those: it’s a good shout for beginners because it’s elegant and tasty without pushing the funk or smokiness too far. On the nose you get fresh wasabi, green fruit and soft herbs which lead nicely into a palate of white chocolate, pine nuts and a little rooty-earthiness. There’s a slightly spicy, raw sugarcane note throughout that’s quite like Martinique rum.

It's eminently drinkable stuff and at this price you can afford to play around with it. Sip it from a tasting glass by all means but you can also sub it in for any white spirit in a classic cocktail. It’ll happily outperform the gin in a Negroni, and really shines when served long with tonic and lime.

£54.99, Selfridges

Score: 8/10