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The good, the bad, and the funky: How to understand distinct flavors in mezcal

Is funky mezcal good mezcal? How to detect and understand flaws in mezcal flavor profiles and why this is an important skill to learn.

– Read SpearRead More

Who's Really Making Your Mezcal?

In this opinion piece, Cuentacuentos founder Read Spear questions the inherent moral superiority of buying producer-owned mezcal.

– Read SpearRead More

Oaxacan Rum: From the cloud forests to the international market

This October I had some epic journeys deep into the Sierras of Oaxaca, traversing over cloud covered mountains, down muddy switchbacks, through coffee and banana groves. But these recent adventures have not been to find mezcal or agave. These spirit-led experiences were to learn about Oaxacan rum, locally known as aguardiente

– Anna BruceRead More

Following Mezcal’s Footsteps, Mexican Rum Is on the Rise

With sugar cane growing abundantly in states like Veracruz, Tabasco, Puebla and other coastal areas, it was only a matter of time until some of the countless small-scale producers dotted across the country began sending spirits north of the border. In the United States, we’re only just starting to see the tip of the ultra-artisanal iceberg hit the market, with two prominent, though loosely defined, styles leading the zeitgeist.

– EMMA JANZENRead More

Colorado Mezcal Brands Work With Oaxacan Producers to Fight COVID-19

Oaxaca’s mezcaleros have been social distancing for centuries, having settled in the isolated habitats of the wild agaves used to make mezcal. But their secluded, self-sustaining lifestyle, which provides natural, built-in protection from outside threats, also poses certain problems. And in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, the mezcaleros’ literal survival will define the future of mezcal itself.

– Tony WhiteRead More

Branding Mezcal for Export from (Oaxaca) Mexico: The Starkman Factor

…product is one thing, but the comprehensive corporate philosophy is another, for me perhaps more important than price and the contents of the bottle.

– Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.Read More

Las Almas Rotas Is the Sweet Spot for Mezcal Education

One night this week, Read Spear, owner of Cuentacuentos brand of mezcal based in Oaxaca, spoke. Which is how I spent the evening in the dark and funky embrace of our best mezcaleria, sampling mezcal and stories with 65 like-minded imbibers. It left me very much the wiser and thirsting for more.

– Eve Hill-Agnus of D MagazineRead More