 Alvin Starkman M.A., J.D.
In May, 2025, I read a discussion on a popular agave distillate Facebook page, which began with the following post: How much time does one have to study Tequila/Mezcal to be considered a “master” or “expert” At first blush I considered posting a reply on that page, along with all the others who felt compelled to answer the question. In many cases I couldn’t figure out if those responding to the question were joking, or if they were serious with their vast array of differing opinions. But then I realized that to give justice to answering the question in a serious manner would take up an inordinate amount of space. Therefore, instead I decided upon this format. To begin, I found the simple use of the word “master” to be both confusing and perhaps even inappropriate. “Expert” is a much easier term to both understand and upon which to opine. Over the past decade, or perhaps even longer, various individuals and groups have begun to offer courses leading to an “expert” or “master” designation, both in the US and in parts of Mexico, ranging in duration from a week or so, to several weeks. The longer courses are most often not daily, but rather one day a week or month over a period of time. And, there are those which include days in the US together with requisite days of instruction and working out in the fields and at quaint Mexican distilleries, or palenques as they are most often termed here in the state of Oaxaca. And in at least one case, students are (or rather were at the time) required to spend several days in Mexico city, in the classroom, as part of the federal government’s CONOCER program. CONOCER provides instruction on how to teach and evaluate students in a large number of vocations, one of which has centered upon mezcal. The course which I took lead to me becoming a “Master Mezcalier,” and included the CONOCER program in Mexico City. At the time I took the course I had already been around the mezcal industry in Oaxaca, and to a much lesser extent in other states, for over two decades, learning from visiting perhaps the most rudimentary clay pot distilleries at one end of the spectrum, to likely the most sophisticated and industrialized facilities at the other. However one of the organizers of the program wanted me to teach the course, and required that I take it prior to beginning to teach it. I did learn a bit in the course of participating in the close-to-two-week experience, but it certainly, in my opinion, did not qualify me to become a master, maestro, or expert, despite having received that haughty designation as “Master Mezcalier.”. Don’t get me wrong, such courses are valuable, but only to the extent that they enable the participant to scratch the surface. They do no more! Nor, I would suggest, and hope, are they expected to do more! Then there are those who have written books about mezcal and other agave distillates. If the author resides in Mexico, and spends a year or two researching and writing, then arguably they could be deemed experts. But simply writing a book, and/or penning a series of articles and/or leading courses or discussion groups and tastings, does not necessarily lead to properly being able to call oneself an expert. In fact, I am aware of at least two authors who received publisher advances enabling them to come to Oaxaca for several months, then return home (to outside of Mexico), and attend to having their books published. They are neither masters nor experts! You have to live it, for a long time, to consider oneself an expert, and even then …. Social anthropologists have also written books about mezcal. As a social anthropologist myself, and one who has conducted field research, to my thinking these individuals, along the continuum of expertise, fall more towards the positive end. However, the question then remains, have they lived in the state, and better yet the communities of which they write, and if so for how long. They may be excellent researchers, writers and students of culture, but those attributes in and of themselves do not mean that they are necessarily experts, once their projects have been completed. Do they return and follow up on their research which might have been completed several years ago? This becomes significant given the dramatic changes in the agave distillate industry over the past 15-20 years. To what extent have they kept up with the changes? Or, have they simply gone on to another completely different area of inquiry? But don’t get me wrong, one need not have written anything about mezcal to perhaps be considered an expert. There are roughly 26 states in Mexico which produce an agave distillate, nine or ten of which can legally call it mezcal if certain prerequisites are met (there is currently some dispute regarding a recently proposed addition). And there is a broad range of means of production and tools of the trade involved in their processes, ranging from the most rudimentary clay pot distillation methods, to the most highly industrialized facilities using diffusers and autoclaves, and everything in between. To what extent have these “experts” explored all of this, beyond reading? Must they have visited most of the states and explored how they make the spirit? And what about bartenders, and those working in mezcaerlías? Even here in Oaxaca there are employees in some of the most renowned and highly respected mezcal bars and teaching rooms, whom I suspect consider themselves “experts,” yet have been known to spout misinformation (i.e. “only bad mezcal is used to produce añejo,” or “tobalá is a wild agave”). Another category of person is someone who visits particular parts of Mexico, frequently, trying to expand their agave distillate knowledge. This is of course admirable. But still a decade of doing so does not make an expert. I have read online comments of such individuals, similarly with non-truths being stated as factually accurate. Even then, as David Byrne one stated, “facts just twist the truth around.” Should the term “expert” be considered as falling along a continuum, with time studying agave distillates, mezcal in particular, being just one factor to consider? One might in fact develop a list of factors:
The corollary of the foregoing is that 99% of distillers are not experts or masters, though yes maestros, as in being a Maestro Palenquero. For me personally, though checking off most if not all of the boxes suggested in the foregoing, I can state no more than to consider myself, an authority in training. Alvin Starkman operates the first ever federally authorized mezcal tour company, www.mezcaleducationaltours.com. He has been a permanent resident of the city of Oaxaca for over two decades, and for several years previously, a frequent visitor.
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Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
Last year I participated in a panel discussion in Oaxaca about a new book entitled La Exportación del Mezcal, by Dra. Blanca Esther Salvador Martínez. While the other panelists essentially praised the author for writing such an important book and explained how it thoroughly covered all the bases regarding the subject matter, I took a different approach. I explained how the export of mezcal positively impacts virtually every aspect of the Oaxacan economy. This, then, both reviews what I discussed at the book presentation, and expands upon it. Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in the country. We have agriculture and tourism, and little if anything else. Factories for export products are virtually non-existent. We’ve always had significant production of tomatoes, mangoes, black beans, avocados, etc., for both domestic consumption and for export, and so growing fruits and vegetables has kept the economy humming, at least within the context of its standing relative to the rest of Mexico. But tourism is another story. It may be characterized by peaks and valleys. Many readers will recall what happened in 2006, when as a result of severe social unrest, tourism dipped to pretty well nothing. And then between in 2020 and 2022, this time because of COVID, once again tourism was essentially absent. Next year, or the following year, or in five years, once again tourism will likely take a hit. Both the US State Department and journalists will warn prospective visitors against travelling to Oaxaca. I even recall about three years ago seeing a story on the international cable channel Al Jazeera, about fires blazing at the Huitzo toll booth which is about an hour’s drive north of the city of Oaxaca. The underlying message was clear; it’s too dangerous to visit Oaxaca. But mezcal tourism appears oblivious to the ravages of fearmongering. For the past dozen or so years, I’ve been working on a part-time basis teaching visitors to Oaxaca about mezcal production stages and processes. I also work with documentary film production companies, photographers, and most importantly with individuals and groups interested in exporting mezcal. Hence, in the panel discussion I stressed the work done by Dra. Salvador in fostering the state’s economic growth through assisting those with plans for the export of mezcal. Between the two of us, we have worked with people who now have their own export brands and who are importing the spirit to the US, to Canada, to the UK, to Australia, to Europe, etc. And so, we find that with every pallet of mezcal that leaves Oaxaca, the state’s economy is bolstered. And this refers to much more that the sale of raw material (i.e. the heart of the plant, or piña as it is traditionally termed). Sure, some new-bees to the spirit will decide it’s not for them. But the lion’s share will be enthralled with it, some even deciding to jump into the business of mezcal. It doesn’t matter if the visitor to Oaxaca wants to visit the palenque (distillery) of his new favorite agave spirit, to photograph, to film, or to pursue an export project; he’ll be staying in a city lodging, be it Quinta Real, Holiday Inn Express, or a B & B or airbnb. And he’ll be dropping pesos at eateries both in the city and it the villages; high end, middle-of-the-road, as well as street food and at market stands. This all translates to amelioration of the Oaxacan economy. But there is so much more! While believe it or not some mezcal tour visitors have no idea about the archaeological sites, the craft villages, the push towards ecotourism, the fact that the city is the country’s mecca for cuisine with its cooking schools, Casa Oaxaca, Los Danzantes, and more, upon arrival they do begin to realize the state’s diversity of offerings. The arts scene has hugely capitalized upon the mezcal boom. More than two decades ago, our god-daughter Lucina (then only six years old) from the terra cotta clay pottery village of San Marcos Tlapazola, began making small mezcal drinking cups with a face on one side and an agave on the other. At the time such an item was unknown. Today, several woman from that village are flogging those little vessels. Lucina’s mother a talented craftswoman in her own right, is continually inventing other clay products with an agave motif. While she strives to stay one step ahead of the village competitors, others nevertheless copy. The economic lot of the village has been improving over the past decade or so, by leaps and bounds due to the interest in anything related to mezcal and agave. When tourism dropped dramatically as a consequence of COVID, and I witnessed many of my friends in other craft villages suffering, I encouraged them to produce craft items with mezcal and agave designs. A family in the woolen rug village of Teotitlán del Valle is now making tapestries with a palenquero working his horse with the tahona (stone crushing wheel). Another family in the carved wooden figure (alebrije) village of San Martín Tilcajete is now making similar themed engravings, as well as solid wooden plaques each with a different species of agave pictured. A friend who hand-forges knives and machetes out of recycled metals, now engraves them with, once again, agave and mezcal motifs. At my request, one of the Aguilar sisters known for their handmade and painted clay figures, now makes figures of Mayahuel, the pre-Hispanic goddess of agave. She is pictured with large breasts and/or rabbits at her feet, the way we see her represented elsewhere. One of the candle makers once again in Teotitlán del Valle, handmakes a series of candles, each featuring a different species of agave. Several years ago I encouraged a family of artisans in the cotton textile village of Santo Tomás Jalieza to make table runners with agaves complete with quiotes extending upwards. The wife complied with my request, only to add to the design by including hummingbirds sucking at the flowers on the stalk. In each of the foregoing cases, the mezcal boom has made a positive impact on the economic lives of not only those particular villagers, but others who have realized a new segment of the tourist population will buy, not the usual craft items, but rather anything related to agave spirits. A dramatic change is evident in the nature of the art produced in the engravings workshops on Calle Porfirio Díaz and more generally in the works on display for sale in the open air downtown market known as Parque Labastida. One now sees roughly a quarter of the art being offered for sale featuring, yes, agave and mezcal themed graphics, oils, and water colors. The agave distillate boom is directly resulting in repairing village and secondary highway roads, building gas stations, constructing schools and increasing the compliment of their teachers, building village water filtration plants, and giving children a chance to improve their education. Previously, many teens, especially males, left their homes for better financial opportunities in Mexico City, California and Texas. Today their labor is needed in making and marketing mezcal in more cost effective and environmentally friendly ways. A brother and a sister from Rancho Blanco Güilá each recently graduated from college with a degree in civil engineering, their families being able to fund their higher education using the extra disposable income derived from the sale of the family’s mezcal production. They are both assisting their family to improve their methods of making mezcal, and in fact has recently achieved certification for their own palenques and respective brands. Improved education means improving opportunities to realize dreams. We don’t know what the future will bring in terms of the continued growth, or not, in Oaxaca’s agave distillate industry. However, with more children now getting a college education, if the industry begins to falter, those youths will have their education upon which to fall back. Two decades ago they would have been relegated to subsistence paying jobs. For the benefit of the state of Oaxaca, we can just hope that the current trajectory continues. Alvin starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (www.mezcaleducationaltours.com). Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
Residents of villages, and to a lesser extent towns, throughout Canada, the United States, and Mexico, in many respects tend to fit an oft-perceived mold of rural conservatism. However when considering those in the mezcal distillation industry in the southern state of Oaxaca, a trending towards innovative practices appears to be taking hold. Lobster pechuga and cannabis infused/distilled espadín are just the tip of the iceberg, the latter perhaps already “old hat” in the eyes of some. In August, 2022, a client who had contacted me for a day of exploring ancestral (clay) and artisanal (copper) production techniques, and just as importantly to embark upon buying opportunities, emailed me that he was particularly interested in “visiting more of the mezcaleros / mezcaleras that are more experimental or innovative.” That got me to ponder my preconceived notions of conservatism amongst palenqueros (as they’re commonly known in Oaxaca). True, there are Oaxacan agave distillers who continue to resist change, in some cases at the behest of brand owners, and their followers who fashion themselves purists. But change is in the wind, buoyed (1) by the more progressive palenqueros, (2) by those who may be conservative but understand the financial benefit of thinking just a little outside-of-the-box, (3) by the more entrepreneurial brand owners, and (4) by those distillers simply not afraid to experiment and are unphased by those who might launch tirades in their direction. And from what I have gleaned certainly over the past decade, the consuming public has made it worthwhile for palenqueros to continue to push the envelope. In every case of which I am aware, the distillers have ignored the naysayers in favor of bringing new products and techniques to market. This has paid dividends; increased sales have accrued to the financial benefit of the families of palenqueros and their fellow villagers, and their reputations have received a shot in the arm. The one and only qualification to the forgoing two positives in the area of techniques, has been when those who have traditionally distilled in copper alembics have tried their hand at clay. And I am certainly not aware of anyone who has made the effort to augment their clay offerings with copper. Why would they even try? In these cases of trying to distill in clay from a copper family tradition, I imagine that the impetus has been being to then be able to put the word “ancestral” on their labels. Unfortunately, I have not been impressed with the mezcal of those who have attempted the transition. But both the late Everardo García (San Pablo Villa de Mitla) and Don Lencho García and his son Silverio (Rancho Blanco Güilá) have successfully developed hybrids of copper and clay, each having come from a recent copper background. When I’ve done comparative tastings with clients, the hybrids have always won out over the pure copper! I didn’t get a chance to ask Everardo why he decided upon the new type of still and how he arrived at determining which parts should be clay and which copper (obviously the condenser would remain copper), but Silverio explained the family’s initial experiment to me. When his father started out with Silverio’s grandfather more than a half century ago, the family lacked resources to buy a complete copper alembic. So they adapted, using an inverted clay pot as the upper copper bell, and for the connecting copper tube they used a length of quiote (flower stalk). The bottom pot and the serpentine, both copper, remained the same. The foregoing two cases are examples of the palenqueros, and no others egging them on, being innovative, albeit Don Lencho and son having copied a family tradition long lost --- until now. Another case of palenquero innovativeness is found in Rodolfo López Sosa (San Juan del Río). He, likely having come across something similar in another state, has become more efficient in the baking process, thus enabling him to either pass on savings by keeping his price per liter a little lower than would otherwise be the case, or increasing his profit margin by saving time and labor. When emptying his oven, he no longer has to lift out the rocks to remove the charcoal and place more firewood. How is that possible, one might ask. He has created a basement or tunnel beneath the below-ground earthen oven, with an entranceway easily sealed with bricks. After each bake he simply walks down a few steps, opens the makeshift doorway, removes the charred wood, and replaces it with new. His rather unconventional practices also extend to filling his fermentation vats, and more significantly how he achieves diversity in his range of mezcal products. His village is indeed noted for the quality of the agave distillate produced there, mainly using Agave angustifolia Haw (espadín). Don Rodolfo is not averse to distilling the agave with a varied range of fruits and herbs in order to provide prospective and existing clients with a broad selection of products from which to choose. Otherwise, there would be espad{in and little more except for the odd small batch of tobalá or cuily (Agave marmorata). Curiously, he is one of the few if not the only palenquero with whom I am acquainted who does a pechuga with fowl protein (pechuga de guajolote) and no fruits or herbs. However, he is always willing to deviate from that format, as I have learned first hand. Several years ago I asked Don Rodolfo to distill a batch of pechuga de guajolote with maple syrup. No problem. Then another, then a further pechuga using fresh lychees. As long as one pays for the end product, many palenqueros will give it a shot. The lychee didn’t turn out as I had hoped, and I can’t in good conscience even give it away as Christmas gifts, but that’s not his issue, and he likely doesn’t even know of my disappointment. But we’re at it again, turkey breast with honey having proved to be a winner, and as soon as I get more maple syrup, more of that first recipe Don Rodolfo distilled. The problem for me is I always feel obliged to buy whatever is produced, the result turning out to be 50 – 60 liters minimum. But others have figured out a solution; both palenqueros and their export patrons. Celso Martínez (Santiago Matatlán) produces in copper for his own brand (La Jicarita) and for a couple of export brands owned by others (Nacional and Dangerous Don). British citizen Thea Cumming wanted Don Celso to help her to develop a quality non-sugary coffee mezcal. After umpteen tries with coffee alone, and coffee with other ingredients, and playing around with various ABVs, they found the recipe for success, Ms. Cumming of course with the final word, as always. But upon achieving success with her signature coffee mezcal, she decided that it would be a worthwhile effort to consider distilling with other natural ingredients thrown into the mix, rather than coffee. She purchased a small copper alembic so that Don Celso would not have to make a large amount, and Thea would not end up in my own personal predicament. Both together, and Don Celso of his own initiative, have produced several different agave distillates using a broad range of flowers, herbs and fruits, there being no bounds. All that Don Celso needed with that little push, a chance to see the potential of mezcal distilled with more than agave. All this goes far beyond infusing with larvae (mezcal de gusano) or siete hierbas (seven herbs). Did someone say weed? Infusing with cannabis is nothing new. Victoria Ramírez (San Baltazar Chichicapam) tells me that in her village the distillate with marijuana added has traditionally been used topically to alleviate muscle aches, much in the same way as using mezcal infused with scorpions. But when 9 – 10 years ago I suggested to daughter Estela that the family once again make that very mezcal, she asked why. “If you make it, the Americans will buy it,” was my retort. But now, as the laws surrounding consumption and even sale of cannabis are relaxing in Mexico, with fully legal recreational consumption right around the corner, a whole new breed is being born, those who are, rather than infusing, actually distilling with it. When I first began exploring palenques in Oaxaca some three decades ago, that was unheard of. But now many palenqueros are sourcing weed and including it in the second distillation, even though to my knowledge the psychotropic effect is non-existent, the THC dissipating with condensation. But the aroma and flavor is what attracts the consumer. Many imbibers like me in particular no longer yearn to get high, but enjoy that reminder of past decades toking with friends while passing joints as we sat around on the floor in a circle. The most flavorful cannabis distillate I have encountered is made by Artemio García (San Dionisio Ocotepec), with honorable mention going to Rosario Ángeles (Santa Catarina Minas). Rosario’s youth, and the fact that she is not from a mezcal-making family, with no father, uncle or grandfather telling her what she can and cannot do, has brought her to the cutting edge of Oaxacan agave distillation. In fact she has constructed a 20-liter clay pot still for her experimentation. Her chocolate mezcal is exquisite. And she is the one with whom I have been working distilling with lobster, and an assortment of select fruits and herbs which we have varied from batch to batch. Her willingness to deviate from tradition is refreshing. And when I arrived at her Palenque the morning of the most recent lobster distillation with a bottle of Lakeview Cellars’ Niagara Peninsula VQA Vidal Icewine in hand to pour into the clay pot, she didn’t flinch. Now that’s being progressive! In the same village of Santa Catarina Minas from which Rosario hails, lives one of the grand maestros of olla de barro (clay pot) distillation, Felix Ángeles Arellanes. Don Felix boasts about 20 (likely more these days) different expressions of agave distillate, including five pechugas. While village tradition dictates using particular fruits and herbs, Don Felix is not afraid to give his hand at the more unusual, using whatever strikes his fancy. Nor does he shy away from distilling his pechugas using different species of agave. He currently is offering pechugas using espadín, tobasiche, tobalá, arroqueño and even tepeztate. When he first began using tepeztate, typically one of the more expensive agave distillates offered throughout the state, I questioned whether anyone would spend that kind of money on a liter of mezcal purchased directly from the producer. I was sorely (and now as it turns out embarrassingly) wrong. His vegan pechuga, as I term it, first distilled in July, 2022, includes spaghetti squash, corn, pineapple and panela; even my wife, who doesn’t drink mezcal, will tolerate it. She begrudgingly admits she actually likes it. And when an export client (Doña Vega mezcal) asked the late Juan Hernández (Santiago Matatlán) to distill a sample batch with pineapple and celery, Don Juan complied with the request. While that expression failed to make a final cut for Doña Vega, the brand has gone on to considerable success, now with daughter Lidia Hernández at the helm of the family’s mezcal production. That little push from Doña Vega to think outside-of-the-box was all that attorney Lidia needed. She, like so many of the others, is now distilling with a plethora of added ingredients; one expression with watermelon, another with fig and cinnamon, etc., etc., etc. And she now has a mezcal infused with 14 herbs. Some infusions and distillates which include more than agave, are designed for the WOW factor and little more. What comes to mind is that snake-infused espadín I purchased a decade ago for just that reason. It’s here in my home somewhere, but for the life of me I don’t know where I hid it, though likely very well so I would never be tempted to try it again. In my opinion it’s nothing more than a gimmick. On the other hand, my most recent acquisition has been a mezcal distilled with chicatanas (flying ants, a seasonal delicacy in Oaxaca). The palenquero owns a new restaurant in an upscale neighborhood in the city of Oaxaca, and with this concoction undoubtedly patrons will pay handsomely for the opportunity to include a 1.5 ounce pour alongside their meals. The difference with this particular agave distillate as compared to the snake infused, is that the flavor does reveal a pleasant hint of chicatana. Why this producer with this ingredient? Clearly, he’s a Oaxacan entrepreneur willing to risk his hand in the ever-so-fleeting and difficult restaurant industry. If anything will contribute to his success, it will be this particular mezcal, which will lead him to consider using all other fashion of unique natural additives in distillation and likely for infusing. There are indeed palenqueros, and in fact entire villages known for mezcal production, where conservatism still reigns. It’s rather interesting that there can be a village personality characterized by staunch resistance to change which extends to ingredients, means of production and tools employed in mezcal production. And while I have witnessed material advancements in distiller palenques and to a lesser extent lifestyles, I attribute this to no more than the current mezcal boom. By contrast, in each and every case where names have been noted above, growth and improvement have been palpable. And yes, it results in both an amelioration of economic lot, and improved self-worth of the palenqueros, extending to their family members. I’ve noted the influence of brand owners, progressive personalities, and those simply willing to adopt the advice of others. Yes, there will continue to be the detractors, but hopefully some will begin to see the light and experiment on their own, sampling whatever becomes available to them, with an open mind. If the palenqueros they worship are willing to take that first step, so should they. It can only improve the Oaxaca agave distillate industry, across the board. Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (mezcaleducationaltours.com). His book Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances, is now in its third printing, significantly expanded from its prior editions. graph. Haz clic aquí para editar.
Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. Dogmatism in the mezcal industry causes misinformation to metastasize. It begins when those with the broadest and loudest platforms create other lesser aficionados, yet still in their likeness. The latter are agave distillate (relative) novices who as a consequence of predominantly online social media find their own audiences, and these neophytes are revered by others with even less mezcal experience. Then they too continue to preach false gospel. And it’s all reinforced; those on the bottom rung are applauded by their disciples above them, and that misinformation keeps climbing until it reaches the top, where those at that pinnacle can applaud their much earlier proclaimed “truths.” Who would ever question the words brought down from Mount Sinai? That would be deemed sacrilegious, tantamount to heresy. There are several manifestations of mezcal dogmatism. Its dissemination ultimately impacts the masses. Change is difficult to achieve once the number of believers increases without a rein to slow it down from a gallop, to a trot, to a walk, and finally a stop. But we must keep on trying to set the record straight, or at minimum be open to receiving differing perspectives, for the long-term benefit of both those who have been lead down the garden path, and the mezcal industry in general. And so, let’s summarize the arguments I have been laying out over the past several years. Wild, Cultivated, Multinationals & Celebrities “Tobalá is a wild agave,” state many in the industry who should know better. Some even label all of their non-espadín agave distillate maguey expressions with the term wild or silvestre. Thankfully change is in the wind, although the breeze blows ever so slowly, even as I and others post photos of row upon row of clearly cultivated barril, tobalá, arroqueño, mexicano, and the list goes on. Yet the misinformation continues. Why? The promoters of such myths try to capture the romanticism of generations long passed, of the poor campesino foraging in the hills. Yes, there is still wild agave out there, and yes, it is being harvested. But certainly not as previously. In my opinion, far more mezcal supposedly produced with wild agave, is in fact distilled with maguey cultivado. Relatively little is produced with the real deal. And that’s a good thing. The uneducated consumer wrongly assumes, or is told, that a mezcal made with wild agave tastes better than its cultivated counterpart, and will often readily pay more. In my opinion quality most often depends predominantly on the skill of the maker. If you visit a palenque, certainly in the state of Oaxaca, sometimes cultivated costs more than wild. That might be because of at least two factors: (1) the carbohydrate content of the maguey silvestre might be higher than that of its seed-grown and transplanted equivalent, thus yield goes up and price accordingly comes down; (2) if it’s been cultivated, that suggests that someone may have paid for the land on which it grows, and has been tending the rows of agave for several years. We know that big business is now in the mezcal industry; over the past decade or longer having purchased outright or an interest in some of our preferred brands. Corporations which come to mind include Pernod Ricard, Bacardi, Diageo and Constellation Brands. They are in the business of making money. And celebrities have their own brands of agave distillate as well. In both cases they have a global reach, meaning that mezcal is now available in countries and otherwise in relatively remote parts of the world where previously the spirit was not on the shelves. And in the case of those movie stars, sports figures and musicians, their name recognition alone increases knowledge of the distillate and accordingly mezcal sales. So there is much more mezcal made with tobalá, tepeztate, madrecuixe, and all the rest, now being sold. And that’s a good thing. Don’t automatically decry the large corporations and celebrity brands. Understand the positive(s) in the case of the former, and that some celebrities endeavor to “do the right thing” when it comes to interacting with palenqueros, their families and their villages. The large corporate interest wants to keep profiting, and therefore so as to continue to do so, want to ensure that these “designer” magueys will always be available to them. They are buying land and having people plant for them; grown from seed, and using the hijuelos, and maguey de quiote. Good or bad, it’s happening. In addition, there are communities, recognizing the mezcal boom, while continuing to allow their residents to harvest from the wild are sometimes requiring that for every wild agave harvested, two must be planted; grown in their greenhouses or on their communal land. And that’s a good thing.[1] What constitutes a cultivated plant? Some say it must have been planted by humans for at least five generations in order to be truly considered cultivated. Otherwise, some say, a more appropriate term is semi-cultivated or semi-wild. But for we as lay people, I would suggest, either of the following defines a cultivated plant, agave or otherwise:
The Purist & Traditional Mezcal “You should only drink traditional, pure unadulterated mezcal,” is an amalgam of what one hears from some working at and owning mezcal bars both in the US, and even in mezcal’s heartland, Mexico’s state of Oaxaca. And it’s also preached by some of the mezcal world’s “purists,” many of whom shun cocktails made with the spirit (but I ask rhetorically if they drink margaritas made with tequila; or are they just anti-cocktail). What do they mean by “traditional” mezcal? I assume they are referring to the agave distillates now categorized as ancestral or artesanal. But do they realize that the mezcal they have been drinking outside of Mexico since the early part of this millennium is not what was most often drunk throughout all of the 1900s (and earlier) and into the first decade of the 2000s? If today you buy your mezcal in New York, London, Vancouver, Paris or LA, you are likely not drinking a traditionally-distilled agave spirit. Why? Because prior to the promulgation and enforcement of the COMERCAM/CRM dictates, there was no requirement to have your mezcal lab-tested for certain chemical compounds or for acidity, or for methanol. Flavor profiles necessarily changed! Methanol contributes to the nature of the distillate just as the head tastes different from the body which tastes different from the tail. All of a sudden, in order to get brands of mezcal out of Mexico, its recipe had to change (unless the producer had already been removing the methanol).[2] So today, if you want to drink traditional mezcal, you must either purchase an agave distillate (as opposed to mezcal) the brand owner of which may not be that concerned with lab test results, or come to Mexico and buy uncertified product directly from the producer, or perhaps drink one of many house “mezcals” (technically agave distillates) offered in local bars, restaurants and mezcalerías. Perhaps you should regularly visit Mexico to buy your agave distillate, if you consider yourself a purist. Many of the same aficionados shun aged mezcal, as well as pechugas, any agave spirit infused with anything (i.e. the gusano, herbs, fruit, etc.), and certainly a mezcal wherein the agave has been steamed in an autoclave or a sealed brick room. They contend it must be baked over firewood and rocks, and fermented in traditional vats whatever that means. They want what they consider to be the real deal. They don’t want the true nuances imparted by the particular sub-species of agave to be masked or adulterated. But wait a minute. Doesn’t the particular type of firewood over which the agave is baked impact (alter) the flavor? Doesn’t the composition of the fermentation vat impact (alter) the nose? Doesn’t the water source (i.e. river, well or mountain stream) impact (alter) the finish? Wouldn’t you get the true nuance imparted by the particular sub-species of agave by steaming it and using stainless steel fermentation vats and a consistent water source filtered the same way all the time? They want traditional, but they aren’t getting it, yet don’t realize it. Mezcal reposado and añejo have been around since long before these pundits were even born, aged agave distillates dating back hundreds of years. And pechugas since likely the 1800s based on archival evidence, and certainly in Oaxaca since the 1930s, if not earlier, based upon oral histories I have taken. How far back must we go for mezcal to be termed “traditional?” And so there’s an incongruity between wanting to promote what they call “traditional” mezcal, and wanting to retain all the natural nuances based on agave type, yet wanting to mask them by cooking over firewood and fermenting in vats made of wood, clay, or animal skin, and using different natural water sources. In a 2021 publication (Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances [Third Expanded Edition with Portraits]), I tried to enumerate the unlimited diversity in nose, body and finish, achieved in traditionally made mezcal. They say don’t drink it with the worm or adulterated with fruit, herbs and/or meat proteins because you’ll then be bastardizing the spirit. But they also say do discern the differences based upon the rest, what they want to illustrate (clay v. copper; growing region, cowhide v. pine vats, etc.), and nothing else. The Best This & The Best That Those at or near the bottom rung of the ladder are now going off on their own tangents, something those near the top never intended to happen. We find them on social media showing their prowess by going as far as commenting in the superlative: “The tepeztate distilled by W palenquero in X village using Y means of production and Z tools of the trade, is the absolute best.” Not only does she lose credibility, but wreaks lasting damage to industry growth. While I disagree with the concept of tasting notes as a general rule in the case of hand-crafted agave distillates, it would be much better to yes, describe nose, body and finish, even with additional descriptors, and leave out it’s “the best.” The problem with superlatives, certainly in this context, is 1) some might not realize that they are essentially subjective, and 2) someone new to the spirit might very well conclude “if that’s the best mezcal has to offer, I’m hightailing it back to single malts.” Epilogue (The Harm Done) As I have noted in Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market and elsewhere, some want to keep mezcal as a secret society for the in-crowd only. That’s what it was like in the late 1990s when the modern era of mezcal began (with Del Maguey et al); at the time it was somewhat understandable. But now the industry has unbridled potential, with an opportunity to positively impact the economy of at least Oaxaca, one of the poorest states in Mexico. Those in the secret society shun the concept of mezcal cocktails despite the fact that their growth in the marketplace helps the economy of Oaxaca and the producers they should want to support. Their dogmatism and spreading of misinformation harms the industry, inhibiting its growth. You know who you are. Take a step back. Act responsibly. Think before you write, speak, promote. Understand that there are very few absolutes in the industry. Let your disciples know others’ points of view and not just your own, and use this to promote healthy discussion. Remember that the longer you’ve been around the industry, the more you will realize how little you know. Alvin Starkman has been gradually increasing his knowledge of mezcal for more than three decades. He has written over 70 articles about the spirit, agave and industry sustainability. Alvin operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (mezcaleducationaltours.com). He is the author of Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances (Third Expanded Edition). [1] As an aside, and not directly related to the theme of this article yet nevertheless worthy of note and discussion at a later date, Schippmann, Leaman & Cunningham wrote: “Demand for a wide variety of wild species is increasing with growth in human needs, numbers and commercial trade. With the increased realization that some wild species are being over-exploited, a number of agencies are recommending that wild species be brought into cultivation systems (BAH 2004; Lambert et al. 1997; WHO 1993). Cultivation can also have conservation impacts, however, and these need to be better understood. Medicinal plant production through cultivation, for example, can reduce the extent to which wild populations are harvested, but it also may lead to environmental degradation and loss of genetic diversity as well as loss of incentives to conserve wild populations.” And so indeed it is a slippery slope. [2] For the average consumer of agave distillates, the methanol in mezcal, even if not removed to meet the standard, will not make you go blind, kill you, or make you gravely ill.  Fortunato Hernández, San Baltazar Chichicapam Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. Over the past 15 years, perhaps less, there has been a significant change which has gone largely unnoticed, in the self-esteem, psyche, and spirit in distillers and their family members throughout the state of Oaxaca. Visitors who come to Oaxaca for the purpose of sampling and buying mezcal, for learning about the culture of palenqueros and their families, and for a plethora of other reasons, periodically comment on changes observed over the past several years. Things are rather different today from what they experienced on an earlier visit or from what they have been told. But the one profound change is simply not acknowledged, even by those who regularly visit.  Felix Ángeles Arellanes, Santa Catarina Minas One of the two differences which does jump out is prices charged for mezcal in the villages near the city of Oaxaca. A dozen years ago a liter of espadín cost as little as 20 pesos, and now it’s upwards of 300 pesos. The other main difference upon which many of the clients of our Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca comment, is in the installations at the palenques: more ovens, stills and fermentation vats; added and up-graded distillation and bottling facilities; relatively modern and/or updated concrete homes where previously much more simple adobe abodes existed; and newer vehicles (while some are still car-less).  At the palenque of Manuel Méndez, San Dionisio Ocotepec That’s all fine, and certainly welcomed by the families of palenqueros, but it’s merely “stuff.” A much more important change has begun to take hold, and it’s rather apparent. Material possessions can do only so much for the soul of a people.  Juana Mateo serving aguamiel, Santiago Matatlán Prior to the mid-1990s’ commencement of what I term the modern era of mezcal, very few people were interested in the agave distillate. In the US that gut-wrenching hooch was drunk mainly in shots, by youths who couldn´t afford anything better, with all manner of myth about who gets the worm. In urban Mexico it was shunned, a drink for poor village folk. Then the pilgrimage began.  Victoria Ramírez illustrating ABV, San Baltazar Chichicapam Along with those wanting to learn, buy and sample, came the rest; the entrepreneurs interested in starting their own brands, the professional photographers, the documentary film makers and other media sorts. And so a transformation began, not merely bringing more revenue into family coffers, but something much more profound and “needed,” I would suggest; a dramatic change in the self-esteem and sense of self-worth of the palenqueros, their partners, sons, daughters, parents and grandparents.  Estela Hernández' home with a group of mezcal aficionados, San Baltazar Chichicapam Although my introduction to the world of mezcal began with my travels to the state in the late 1960s, I must confess that my memory of visits to palenques and to the homes of the makers of mezcal is vague at best. But my witnessing of the noted metamorphosis, beginning in the early 1990s, does indeed afford me an opportunity to comment on change ushered in which began in earnest with the beginning of mezcal’s modern era.  Reina Sánchez, Distrito de Miahuatlán In previous years, palenqueros and their family members were extremely meek, modest, and at times interacting with visitors from abroad with literally their heads bowed down. It was as if they were close to being embarrassed about what they did for a living; “try it, I have two or three kinds of mezcal which might interest you.” Not now!  Cutting an 1,100 pound arroqueño (Agave americana oaxaquensis), Santa Catarina Minas Today there’s a rather discernable sense of self-pride in their craft, in how they make their distillate. Even without a request being made they are anxious to illustrate each stage of production. There is a sense of self-worth, and confidence that you will want to learn from them and have them and their partners and their children have you sample their mezcal.  In the process of making a hand-stitched tortillera, Distrito de Zimatlán Of course, each distiller wants to make a sale. But now there’s something more, in their affect, in their interactions with those from outside of their world. Heads are now high, smiles peak through, “come and let me show you this.” If you buy, that’s great, but if not, the palenquero has nevertheless obtained something equally if not more important to him and his family members, a shot in the arm of self-respect, dignity, and sense of worth which money cannot buy.  Santos Martínez, San Lorenzo Albarradas And now, when the photographer shows up at the palenque, there’s no longer the retort that he doesn’t want his soul to be stolen. He wants to be pictured online and in magazines. He wants to be one of the subjects in a documentary.  Rodolfo López Sosa, San Juan del Río I personally detect the pride, the enthusiasm, the courageousness, all shining through at every turn; perhaps not as much when interacting with middle class urban Mexicans who in recent memory would not even venture into the villages beyond just passing through along a highway to somewhere else. But still, even then, there’s a glimmer of difference in self-image, as if to say “now what do you think about what I do.”  At the palenque of Lencho García & son Silverio, Rancho Blanco Güilá And so come for a visit to rural Oaxaca armed with cameras and video equipment. Don’t feel like you are intruding into their worlds and will be perceived as mere gawkers; nor embarrassed that you might not buy enough or any at all. Understand that you’re doing your part to help the palenquero and his family. Money buys a little, but more importantly, sampling agave distillates from the source is like serving chicken soup … it’s good for the soul.
Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (www.mezcaleducationaltours.com). He and Spike Mafford, photographer, collaborated on the recently published book, Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances, Third Expanded Edition with Portraits.  Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D. A movement has recently begun in American mezcal bars, and restaurants with a decent complement of agave distillates. They are dramatically reducing or almost entirely deleting mezcal cocktails from their menus. (And some ardent mezcal fans are also against the mezcal cocktail craze.) The storyline goes something like “mezcal cocktails inhibit our ability to promote the distillate as a fine and diverse sipping spirit, so in order to promote mezcal the way we want to do it, we’re going to restrict the number of mezcal cocktails we’re offering.” A case, however, can be made for this way of thinking, and acting, doing more harm than good. A decade ago a colleague who is an accomplished author, retailer, and “mezcal expert,” wrote that “cocktails are the fanciest manner to degrade mezcal.” But he has changed his tune, thankfully, and in fact has been known to hold the odd cocktail evening at his outlet in the city of Oaxaca. He lives in the city. The cocktail critics by and large do not live here in Oaxaca, and simply lack a comprehensive understanding of the importance for the state of the continued growth of interest in mezcal cocktails. By contrast, my fellow enthusiast and many others who live here, get it.  Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, with agriculture and tourism being virtually the only industries. But the mezcal boom, which began in earnest about a decade ago, has witnessed a dramatic increase in visitors to the state wanting to learn about the spirit, start their own brands, and document the industry in photos and in film. For those of us who live here and venture into the mezcal-producing villages, we see what the change that the dramatic increase in revenue for the state as a consequence of the boom, has meant for the distillers and their families; village roads paved, schools built, homes and palenques expanded, etc. More sales of mezcal means more income accruing to the villages; whether served neat to those wanting to experience and savor the broad range of aromas, flavors and finishes derived from the myriad of different subspecies and the plethora of factors impacting each batch, or, dare I suggest, “simply” used in cocktails. All this means is more income accruing to the villages.  The more consumers hear the word mezcal spoken, or read the word on a cocktail menu, the more their interest piques. They want to learn more, and perhaps visit Oaxaca thereby dropping their sometimes-hard-earned dollars in the state. Tourism in Oaxaca is characterized by peaks and valleys. But mezcal tourism is a different animal; it keeps rising despite US State Department warnings and sensationalistic journalists’ articles. Increase in hotel bookings, restaurant patrons, craft sales, are all part of the economy lifted via promotion of the agave distillate.  Let’s assume the cocktail naysayers have a point. So why not offer mezcal cocktails made with mezcals other than Del Maguey Vida. Don’t get me wrong, I say to Ron Cooper, Pernod Ricard and the others currently or in the recent past involved with the brand; your product has an important place in the industry. But if a bar is interested in bottom line, why not increase the complement of agave cocktails offered by adding other “economical” entry level mezcals to the cocktail menu, since each is different from the next. Doing so serves two functions. Firstly, it gives patrons options. Secondly, it helps to educate the non-aficionados about mezcal diversity, even if they are “blends,” using the common non-traditional-mezcal parlance of the term. Better yet, if you really want to educate the public about mezcal as a fine sipping spirit, treat mezcal as any other ingredient in a cocktail:
 The critics’ answer is the cost of a tepeztate or a jabalí as compared to a blended espadín. I have enough confidence in the public to believe that over time people will learn the benefit of careful mezcal selection in producing a high-quality cocktail. Consumers will detect the difference, pay for that difference (there’s lots of money out there), while at the same time come to understand mezcal’s unbridled diversity.  Another way to promote mezcal in mezcalerías, bars and Mexican restaurants, without diminishing the complement of agave distillate concoctions, is to have a comprehensive training program for staff, whereby they are taught how to promote the spirit with just a few brief sentences in the course of serving cocktails. Perhaps even give away a half-ounce sample when interest in mezcal is expressed by a patron. The bottom line of the business will surely improve by providing such value-added service and that little perk of a gratuitous sample.  Hold events if you want to more broadly promote the spirit. Be a little altruistic and don’t worry about not making money one evening per month, or on the day of the week that your establishment is closed.  Epilogue
Pisco is a spirit distilled in mainly Peru, from fermented grapes, akin to a brandy. It is the national spirit of the country, production dating to the 16th century. A trend began to take off, making whisky sours with the country’s national spirit, pisco. The pisco sour traditionally includes egg white, lime juice, simple syrup and bitters. A Peruvian client recently advised me that once the popularity of the pisco sour began to grow, exponentially, so did the consumption of pisco; neat, with a plethora of new expressions being created and savored by Peruvians. American retail liquor outlets which are supporting an anti-mezcal-cocktail approach are taking a very risky gamble which can easily adversely impact not only their collective bottom line, but also the growth of the mezcal industry. I began this article noting “a recent movement.” The real movement is the meteoric growth of the cocktail industry. Embrace it with mezcal. Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (mezcaleducationaltours.com). He is the author of Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances (Third Expanded Edition with Portraits). #mezcalcocktails Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
Selecting what brand or expression of mezcal to buy should be determined by more than considering price and your own or published tasting notes. Of course they will form part of the equation, but so should your knowledge and understanding of to what extent, if any, the brand owner is giving back to the community. What is your favorite brand of mezcal doing, if anything, to support the local economy of the town or village where the agave distillate is being produced, beyond simply purchasing from the palenquero? Does it donate to Mexican charities, and if so to what extent? Some brands do the right thing, believe it or not even some of those owned by celebrities. Over the past decade, several times a week I meet various mezcal novices and aficionados. I can perhaps count on one hand the number of times anyone has mentioned a brand giving back to either the local or broader Mexican community. The discussion the spirit imbiber begins is virtually always about nose body and finish, and/or value. Sometimes there is the odd commentary about the multi-nationals’ or movie/sports stars’ incursion into the industry. Brand owner personality lies along a continuum. At one end are those motivated by strictly altruism (to the extent it can ever exist at 100%), and at the other are those concerned with profit and little if anything else. I suspect that a fair number lie towards or even hug the latter, while nary a single one is to be found at the former. But being in a capitalist society suggests it’s okay to make improving one’s brand’s bottom line rather important. But that doesn’t mean we should willy-nilly accept brands which do their best to buy bulk agave distillate for as cheap as possible, even if part of the motivation is to benefit the end consumer. And we should reject those who do not give back to one or more segments of the community in need, by not supporting those brands nor singing their praise, no matter what the quality of the various expressions. If you want to continue to witness the industry thrive, that is those brands producing ancestral and artesanal mezcal, investigate before making a purchase, or promoting on social media or via any other means. You’ll feel better about yourself. Red flags should go up, at least provisionally, regarding a product seemingly under-priced, just as for the mezcal appearing to be over-priced. Does $25 USD for an espadín at 45% ABV a bottle of 750 ml suggest the brand is squeezing the palenquero as much as possible to get the best price? Does $60 USD suggest the brand is paying a lot and at the same time donating to a worthy charitable cause? Perhaps the brand is even partnering with the palenquero, which at least to some extent removes that inequality of bargaining power. The imbalance is evidenced by a brand owner knowing that the producer is in dire need of sales and thus he has the upper hand in negotiating price. The two as partners, on the other hand, suggests that as the brand flourishes in the marketplace, so does the economic lot of the palenquero. So what should you do before buying? What do I mean by “investigate?” We can begin a groundswell in the industry, as long as we do our part. Admittedly, it may require that you depart from your comfort zone. At the Retail Level When you go to your local wine and spirits store or mezcalería, ask the salesperson or better yet manager if the brand gives to charity or does anything else to support the state or community where the mezcal is being distilled. The answer will likely be “I don’t know.” Follow up by asking the person to contact the distributor to find out. Now many brands, for good reason, do not promote their charitable endeavors, but once asked should readily explain with details. Often the distributor does not know although he should so as to enable him to better promote the brand. It’s simple to give out your cel number and ask to be called once the vendor has an answer for you. But walk out of the store without buying! The next retail outlet you attend might have the answers you should be seeking. At the Trade Shows & Tasting Events At the trade shows, spirits competitions and tasting events conducted by brand owners or third parties it should be easier to get the answers you want. If not, then there’s a problem. Those promoting particular brands should be armed with a lot of information beyond telling you how great their products are and a little about the family which produces the spirit. When you are then told about the mountain of revenue the palenquero is given in reply to your query, remember that the members of his family are the ones awaking at 4 am to harvest and staying up all night to distill; not the brand owner who lives a much more comfortable lifestyle. And if you are told about how many hands the mezcal must touch before landing in a bar, store or mezcalería (i.e the Three Tier system in the US), and thus that the brand owner makes very little, that is simply a way to avoid answering your pointed question. You might even want to ask about any belief in tithing, and have a fruitful discussion about the practice as it relates to the business of mezcal production and sales. At both of the two foregoing levels you should press for details. Get the name of the charity, the address of the school the brand rep states it built, or water filtration plant it constructed for the entire community. Ask if there is a partnership agreement between the palenquero and the brand as opposed to simply an agreement fixing price per liter for the term of the contract. Brand websites and Facebook or other online mediums might provide the information outlining the information you should be seeking. But as suggested earlier, many brands might be uncomfortable promoting their charitable giving. But some are not. Several brand owners over the past few years have in fact asked me where they should park some of their profits in order to help the state of Oaxaca. Epiloque Do your research. Be just as critical as you are of brands of clothing, shoes and widgets which profit from the cheap labor encountered in third world or developing nation sweatshops. Help the agave distillate companies operating towards the ultra-capitalist end of the continuum to understand that making their charitable nature known to the public will ultimately cause profits to spike as consumers come to understand that buying the brand is a good thing. Quality of product will remain important, and price paid will diminish as a determining factor. Or, assist brands to rethink their business practices in order to then assist the palenqueros a bit more than is presently the case. I am not suggesting that donating to charities or partnering with the palenquero is the only way to help, nor that and one or both should be a prerequisite for supporting a brand. There are umpteen ways. And it’s not only the brand owners who should be encouraged or even shamed into “doing the right thing;” rather every person or business along the chain making a profit. They should understand that perhaps helping to grow the industry at large is just not enough; especially here in Oaxaca, one of the poorest states in all Mexico. Alvin Starkman is the author of the recently published third edition of Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances. He operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (mezcaleducationaltours.com). Alvin Starkman - M.A., J.D.  Most of them have been drinking mezcal for less than a decade, have researched in only a cursory manner if at all, and/or don’t live in Oaxaca but rather visit for a week or so once or twice a year. In Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market: Unrivalled Complexity, Innumerable Nuances; Third Expanded Edition with Portraits (Alvin Gary Starkman & Spike Mafford, Oaxaca, Mexico, Carteles Editores, 2021), I make reference to those mezcal aficionados who would seek to keep mezcal as a secret society. They are dogmatic in their beliefs about what they consider to be “traditional” mezcal, and attempt to convince others of the truth of their worldview; “DO AS I SAY.” Regretfully they find disciples. Some of the expounders even own or work at bars, Mexican restaurants and mezcalerías. They disseminate un-truths.
There’s nothing wrong with opining about the industry if you are relatively new to it, or if you have never visited Oaxaca or other agave distillate producing Mexican states for that matter, as long as there is a well-considered basis for promoting your point of view, beyond simply jumping on the bandwagon of your fellow neophytes and even of the so-called experts. Have you considered the pedigree of the latter and/or their motivation? And don’t ever think that if they’re standing behind a bar serving you, that they’re thinking is necessarily gospel. Question whether or not they should be telling you what to drink and what not to drink. Despite having been around the industry for three decades, I’m still learning. And I’m always open to other points of view. But I do take issue with those who tell me that they only drink “traditional” mezcal. They typically mean unaged products, with no infusions, which they have been buying outside of Mexico, both now and since early in this millennium. The issues are, (1) aging in oak and/or infusing with something, such as “the worm,” (2) the impact of CRM [Consejo Regulador del Mezcal, previously known as COMERCAM, our main regulatory board] since about 2004, and (3) clay v. copper. How far back must we go to deem something, anything, “traditional?” Once I’ve better digested the series of articles in the volume entitled The Invention of Tradition, edited by Eric Hobsbawm and Terence Ranger (Cambridge, University Press, 1983), I hope to be able to opine from a much stronger position. If we believe that distillation in Mexico dates to about 2500 years ago, and that back then fermented agave was being distilled in only clay, then perhaps anyone who imbibes any mezcal distilled in a copper alembic or refrescador is not drinking traditional mezcal. Perhaps a bit extreme? Absolutely not. If they can be off the wall in their spouting, then surely I can advance what I consider to be a not unreasonable position, depending of course on how we define traditional. Let’s continue with our timeline. We’ll forget about the Filipino introduction to distillation on the west coast, and not even ponder the Chinese, and jump right to the Spanish. And let’s assume they arrived in what we now know as the Yucatan Peninsula during or about 1519 and in Oaxaca some two years later. And let’s not even ponder Spanish cultural appropriation of the spirit. There is both archival evidence and anecdotal oral history noting the arrival of oak barrels from Spain into the country. They were initially filled with Iberian hooch for imbibing in the New World, and in due course used for storing and transporting agave distillates. The practice dated back at least a couple of hundred years. And so mezcal drinkers if not by design then by default were drinking barrel-aged mezcal way back then. Is that traditional enough? The late Maestro Isaac Jiménez, in the 1930s/40s used to walk from Santiago Matatlán to the city of Oaxaca, with his mule or donkey loaded with mezcal in oak barrels, each on one side of the beast of burden. The trip would take 36 to 48 hours, and typically included bedding down for the night between Tlacolula de Matamoros and Santa María el Tule. The mezcal was continuously being jostled about during the journey, and upon arrival in the state capital, as a result of the movement it had been aged perhaps the equivalent of a year! We can now jump ahead to 1950, the year that apparently the gusano de maguey (“the worm”) was first introduced into an agave distillate, initially, state the pundits, as a marketing tool. I suspect that it was first found in a bottle of distillate somewhat earlier, but let’s use that date. Its introduction did result in Mexicans taking a liking to the flavor it imparted. After all, if the distinct nuance is now coveted by local cooks and modern chefs, why should the rest of us not recognize it as something agreeable? Just try sampling it along with a smattering of single malts, and you may just find some similarities in nose and body. If the non-tequila agave distillate aficionados believe that tradition dates to before the mid-1950s, then I suppose they have something. But they go further. They then say that both barrel aging and infusing with the gusano, or anything else for that matter, should be shunned because it masks or changes the natural nuance of each species of agave. Do they not realize that serious efforts at distinguishing in earnest one species or sub-species from the next dates to only about the mid-1990s with the introduction of Del Maguey brand? Before then traditional mezcal was often produced by baking, crushing, fermenting and finally distilling together whatever was found in the countryside ripe for harvesting. It was just mezcal. And even the maguey under cultivation, that is fields of Agave angustifolia, rhodacantha and americana, were harvested and then mixed together. And so your tepeztate, your madrecuixe, your jabalí, and the rest, are not what locals or much of anyone else for that matter were drinking, or at least not referring to them as such. Almost everyone was drinking mezclas without noting them as such. Are the only traditional mezcals today the ensambles? Yes, barrel aging alters the flavor of the agave distillate. What if you like the altered aroma and taste? Why do so many denigrate reposados and añejos, yet covet the pechugas most of which these days are distilled with fruits, herbs, nuts, a plethora of distinct meat proteins, and even mole? Could it be that they know that pechugas fetch the big bucks, or that they relish every opportunity that arises to tell the story of how it’s made? After all, barrel aging is nothing new, unless one tells a story of barrels coming from France or Kentucky, being used to age mezcal, and then returned to the US for use in the beer brewing industry. Now that’s a pretty neat story. Finally, I suggest that what we now term ancestral and artesanal mezcal, purchased anytime in the US, the UK and/or Canada since the first few years of this century and continuing to date, is not traditional mezcal. With the application of the dictates of COMERCAM beginning back then, exporters were no longer able to ship the mezcal that they had been sending north and east before that time. All of a sudden they had to be concerned with methanol and other compounds, and acidity. Each impacts the flavor and character of mezcal. And so for example some brands which were being imbibed in the late 1990s were required to change the recipe in order to comply with regulatory board requirements. The mezcal you drink today is likely not traditional mezcal, if you define tradition as dating to the 1990s or earlier. Want to drink traditional mezcal? Then an argument can be made that it should be: (1) distilled in clay à la ancestral but the agave crushed only by hand, and/or (2) aged in oak barrels, and/or (3) infused with something, and/or (4) purchased not outside of Mexico, and if from within the country then directly from its palenqueros as agave distillate and not certified as mezcal. To order Alvin Starkman’s newly edited book, email him at [email protected]. Alvin operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (www.mezcaleducationaltours.com). Alvin Starkman, M.A.,J.D.  At the risk of being accused of heresy, not only do I personally not believe in providing tasting notes for mezcals, but a case can be made for doing away with them in their entirety, except in the broadest of terms. So I say no, to descriptors such as “cinnamon on the nose with essence of grilled pineapple and artichoke and a long peppery finish.” On the other hand, how could I object to hearing “it smells like acetone, tastes like used motor oil and burns going down?” The latter is hard to mistake. On perhaps three and no more occasions I have been asked to provide evaluations, and have complied with the requests; but I don’t like doing it.
For the past decade I have been preaching that no two batches of traditionally made mezcal can possibly be the same. By traditionally I mean encompassing the tools of the trade and means of production one typically witnesses in states I have visited such as Guanajuato, Michoacan, Puebla and of course my bailiwick Oaxaca. To be clear, at least in and around the central valleys of Oaxaca I refer to baking over wood and rocks, crushing with tahona or mazo, fermenting in almost anything but stainless steel (i.e. using receptacles made of wood, clay, hide, etc.), distilling using firewood as fuel, and arriving at the ultimate ABV without the use of the most sophisticated finely calibrated tools. As long as some of the foregoing are employed, one cannot replicate twice in a row. Now of course providing notes on an industrially-produced mezcal is different, since the producer strives for and is able to achieve close to 100% consistency time and again. Not so with the mezcal most of our readers know and enjoy. A few even regularly write in superlatives when heaping praise on agave distillates. Do they think the rest of us will buy into their godlike proclaiming of “the bestness” on a bi-weekly if not more frequent basis? Batch size also suggests variability from lot to lot insofar as the smaller the batch the less likely it is that your fellow aficionado is tasting what you are tasting if you are reading published tasting notes and trying to make a purchase decision. And isn’t that what the ardent mezcal aficionado most often cherishes, that is small batch production? Unless the two of you are sampling from the same bottle or garrafón, it’s perhaps like comparing apples and apples; golden delicious v. granny smith. The conundrum certainly holds true with this decade’s virtual tastings, unless the moderator has shipped to all participants from the same batch. And then, is he also sending along the same drinking vessel? Even the novice comes to understand that its composition, shape and size impact the notes one perceives from sampling. The time of day of the sampling can also impact in different ways. It can be intimidating to those whose palates are not so refined, when one of the self-proclaimed experts finds celery and you find bacon. “Oh no, I got it wrong!” If it’s being done in jest, for entertainment value, or to simply understand that mezcals can be as distinct from one another as an Australian shiraz, an Oregon pinot noire and a French Beaujolais; then that’s a horse of a different color. But if it will impact someone’s purchase of a particular product, then no thank you, even if the novice imbiber owns a hog farm and yearns for that bacon on a daily basis. And then there are those who want to illustrate their agave distillate palate prowess. Perhaps it’s Sour Grapes on my part, but I think not. I’ve stated to clients hundreds of times that mine is not all that sophisticated; though it’s getting better. I can easily tell people I take to village palenques for sampling, what I perceive in a particular expression. But I typically do not do so before hearing their opinions of a product. The power of suggestion plays into it all. Even in a small group, with me keeping my mouth shut, what one person says she tastes will often impact the perception of the next person in attendance. On the other hand, if everyone in the group blindly notes on their cel or a piece of paper, what they’re getting, then I would agree that the exercise can be somewhat more fruitful – for that batch. However for the foregoing exercise, other variables are typically impacting the validity of the results: what you had for breakfast and how long before the tasting, what you sampled prior, if you cleansed your palate and with what, and your general mood. Now you may think I’m speaking out of both sides of my mouth, having developed a mezcal tasting wheel with some 230+ aromas and flavors. Not so. I made it only to convince people that an agave distillate can be a fine sipping spirit just as a single malt or Armagnac, and so people sitting around in a group can have fun while enjoying an evening of imbibing and bating one another. Certainly not to promote serious disagreement. I must apologize to those who promote mezcal tasting notes. I do recognize that just like my wheel, it can be a fun exercise; as long as no one takes it too seriously. And so yes, do continue to opine on the obtuse, but take a step back. And don’t expect anyone, certainly not me, to bow down at your exquisitely refined palate. As far as I know, you’re using my wheel before publishing in print or online or orally spouting off your words of self-proclaimed wisdom. Shaming the rest of us doesn’t advance the cause of promoting the spirit. Check your dogmatism at the door. Perhaps you always wake up on the right side of the bed, eat lunch based on what you’ll be drinking later on in the day, choose your drinking vessel as do the wine snobs, and dress in orange when you know you’ll be sampling a mezcal with a mandarin nose. Isn’t it enough to laud a distiller who always produces a wonderful mezcal without parsing the distillate to death? Remember that the next person might not find hospital hallway, boysenberry and tree bark. You’re taking the fun out of drinking mezcal. Isn’t one of the reasons we gravitate towards hand-crafted agave distillates precisely because of its uniqueness from batch to batch, and because you say tomato and I say tow-máh-toe? Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (www.mezcaleducationaltours.com). Alvin Starkman, M.A., J.D.
Who better to write a book about the business of mezcal than a Oaxacan lawyer who specializes in advising palenqueros, brand owners and prospective agave distillate entrepreneurs, about the quagmire of industry rules, regulations and nuances? In El ABC del Negocio del Mezcal [Carteles Editores, 2021], Blanca Esther Salvador Martínez accomplishes that end in spades. And who better to put mezcal in its historical and global context than an academic who teaches a class centering upon international marketing? Maestra Salvador Martínez does that as well. Translated as “The ABCs of the Mezcal Business,” the book is an easy yet detailed read, even for those of us who are not 100% fluent in Spanish. The 100-page publication consists of four well-footnoted chapters, in addition to a preface, introduction, epilogue, glossary and bibliography. The author breaks it all down into close to 90 headings plus charts and diagrams, thus making every point she endeavors to convey relatively simple to digest. And for those wanting to delve further into the subject matter, even the references are categorized; into legislation, books and related documents, websites, and journalistic coverage. Ms. Salvador Martínez’s initial chapter contextualizes mezcal as a unique spirit by explaining the development and importance of the DO [Denominación de Origen]. Her Roquefort cheese analogy hits home. She then answers those who would be critical of the concept of the NOM [Norma Oficial Mexicana]. The chapter dealing with concerns within the industry is extremely thorough. But it would be wrong to assume that the issues the author identifies are restricted solely to this section of the book. Indeed the problems and pitfalls are woven throughout the remainder of the treatise. Those subsequent chapters primarily address (1) action steps reasonably required as prerequisites for entering the industry, and (2) practical advice. The book canvases the vagaries of agave production based on:
The mezcal industry is complex. The roadblocks which potentially preclude entry and certainly delay, are numerous. Ms. Salvador Martínez stresses, as a cautionary note, the importance of seeking out different individuals, each an expert in his/her field, rather than adopting a one-stop-shopping attitude when it comes to relying on the advice of others. She quotes Albert Einstein as stating “a smart person resolves a problem, a wise person avoids it.” Ms. Salvador Martínez accurately pinpoints and explores the barriers to embarking upon a successful business plan, together with resolution mechanisms. However for me it was the ethical dimension which receives comprehensive treatment which most drew my attention. She identifies what I refer to as an inequality of bargaining power to which we all must be cognizant and find a way to reasonably and fairly address. For the pure imbiber, whether novice or aficionado, the book it important because to a certain extent it is a primer which covers some of those basics in a readable to-the-point fashion. They are the tidbits which are not readily discernable from other literature about mezcal, or from attending a bar or mezcalería and inquiring of those who at first blush appear be in the know. And to be clear, El ABC del Negocio del Mezcal is a book for more than those contemplating or in the process of getting into the industry. It should also be read by those already integrally involved with the business of mezcal. It encourages the reader to take a step back and re-evaluate why the desire to be or remain in the industry. In order to truly respect mezcal and all those involved in its production from field to bottle, there must be an impetus beyond the spirit as simply a vehicle by which to earn income. And so for all, this book is a must read; once, and again as a refresher. Alvin Starkman operates Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca (www.mezcaleducationaltours.com). When advising prospective agave dsitllate brand owners he works closely with Ms. Salvador Martínez. |
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