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What counts as mezcal and who gets to determine that? The use of this word is regional. For the majority of Mexico, the word mezcal is used to refer to any distilled alcohol made from agave. For people living in Sonora, it is called bacanora; for those in western Jalisco, the term is raicilla. In Chihuahua, sotol is the local bebida. The plants used to produce these beverages are also local--distillers use what is available and what grows nearby.

We buy small batch mezcals from the families that make them. Why small batch? Because that’s how mezcal is traditionally made. Mezcal is the oldest spirit in the Americas. It is also the only spirit that can express terroir. More on that later. For over 400 years, families have distilled mezcals for their own use, for their friends and for others in their village.

Of all the concerns in mezcal production sustainability--cultivated agave, agaves sylvestres (wildcrafted), firewood, and vinazas, the vinazas rank second in my opinion. Let me rephrase--if we count Tequila as a mezcal--vinazas are the #1 problem, but if we are talking about Mezcal (capital M--certified product, excluding Tequila), it's fortunately less of a problem.

Wildcrafted agave is probably the area of greatest concern when we talk about the sustainability of mezcal. Humanity has seen too many runs on natural resources for anyone except the most diehard libertarians to NOT believe in the tragedy of the commons.

Mezcal is made from plants that take a long time to grow. These plants--agaves--are harvested--often from the wild--then roasted in an underground oven (horno) using collected firewood as the heat source. Finally, the distillation process produces often-unused cuts that don't get bottled and sold. These are known as vinazas.

Sembrar/crecer - plant and grow. The rumors of agave's demise are greatly exaggerated. What is sometimes in short supply is the blue Weber, the only agave from which tequila can be made. Mezcal (of which tequila is but one subtype) can be made from about 30 different agave species.

The traditional story, as told on the back label of our bottles goes as follows:

Chapter One Caption: During the times when man lived in darkness, the demons possessed the fiesta, the fire, the mezcal, and the tobacco.