SPIRITS · 6 min read
Mezcal Is Not Just Smoke
Myth-busting the smoky one-note stereotype: there are more than fifty agave species used.
‘Smoky’ is the word most people use for mezcal, and it’s only part of the story. The smoke comes from roasting agave hearts in earthen pits. How long, how hot and which wood determines whether you taste bonfire or a barely there whisper.
But it’s the agave that makes mezcal fascinating. Espadín is the workhorse; Tobalá is rare and floral; Tepeztate takes decades to mature and tastes of herbs and spice.
Try three mezcals side by side — one Espadín, one wild agave, one Ensamble — and notice how different they are.
