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CHRISTMAS DELIVERY IS GUARANTEED!

Order online before Sunday 22nd December by 9:30pm for guaranteed delivery in mainland UK.

You can also choose to collect from our Tonbridge office, which is open until 4pm on Christmas Eve (orders must be in by 3pm).

Mezcal guides

Different types of mezcal

Oranges are not the only fruit, and there is more than one type of mezcal.

The style of mezcal will vary depending on several factors. You can categorise mezcal based on:

  • The production process, or how it’s made.
  • How long it’s aged for, like Tequila. 
  • The type of agave used.

So let’s break down the different types of mezcal, starting with some definitions laid out in the Denominaciones de Origen (DO) for mezcal, established in the 1990s by the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal (CRM).

Jump to section

Mezcal, Artesanal and Ancestral mezcals
Beyond ancestral and artesenal
Ageing process
Build your own
Agave varieties

Author:

Adam O'Connell, writer at Master of Malt

Reading time: 10 minutes

First, the CRM states that mezcal can be produced in 10 states: Oaxaca, Michoacan, Guerrero, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Durango, Puebla and Sinaloa.

In 2016, the CRM created three different categories: Mezcal, Artesanal and Ancestral.

Mezcal, Artesanal and Ancestral mezcals

Ancestral process

The ancestral process is the most common. Image credit: Denver & Liely.

Beyond ancestral and artesenal

A bottle of Don Hombres Mezcal

An example of a joven mezcal. Image credit: Dos Hombres Mezcal

Based on ageing process

Based on agave varieties

Espadin agave

The famous Espadín agave. Image credit: Corte Vetusto Mezcal.

More Mezcal guides

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