All Tequila are Mezcal but not all Mezcal are Tequilas.....
Mezcals are any agave-based liquor produced in Mexico, and therefore Tequila is a subcategory of Mezcal. They do share a lot of common points for that reason (agave based and Mexican to start with), but they strongly differ in the following points :
Mezcals are any agave-based liquor produced in Mexico, and therefore Tequila is a subcategory of Mezcal. They do share a lot of common points for that reason (agave based and Mexican to start with), but they strongly differ in the following points :
DIFFERENT BASE MATERIAL
Tequila can only be made with Blue Agave, many species are authorized by the DO of Mezcal.
DIFFERENT GEOGRAPHICAL ORIGIN
Both Mezcal and Tequila are DO, protected designation of origin and can only be produce in certain states of Mexico.
1. Tequila is made in 5 specific regions: Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.
2. Mezcal is made in 8 specific regions of Mexico: Oaxaca, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, and the recently approved Michoacan.
3. 3 states overlap and make both tequila and mezcal
1. Tequila is made in 5 specific regions: Jalisco, Michoacan, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas.
2. Mezcal is made in 8 specific regions of Mexico: Oaxaca, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, San Luis Potosi, Tamaulipas, Zacatecas, and the recently approved Michoacan.
3. 3 states overlap and make both tequila and mezcal
DIFFERENCE IN THE PRODUCTION PROCESS. MODERNITY VS TRADITION ?
Mezcal is often more artisanally produced than Tequila.
A tequila harvest and a Mezcal harvest is essentially the same (with different varieties of agave). How the piñas are cooked is where the process differs dramatically. Indeed, in most instances Mezcal producers use the centuries old method of baking the agave in an in-ground oven over firewood. The piñas are cooked in an underground, earthen pit. The pit is typically about 5 meters wide and 2 meter deep, and cone shaped down to the bottom. It is lined with rock. There are indeed a wide diversity of fire techniques, depending of the ingeniosity or commitment of the Mezcalero. Generally, a fire is started in the bottom with wood. This fire heats the rocks to extreme heat. The piñas are then quickly piled into the pit and covered with about a foot of earth, topped with a necessary chimney. This underground “oven” smokes, cooks and almost caramelizes the piñas. This is where Mezcal gets its earthy and smoky flavours.
Once roasted, the piñas are crushed in old-fashioned stone wheel pulled by horse or donkey and then distilled in wooden barrels or clay or skin pots. It's all very artisanal.
There are also more industrial techniques in use, but in less proportion than for Tequila.
A last difference is in the distillation process; more pot stills or Filipino stills are used for Mezcal than for Tequila.
A tequila harvest and a Mezcal harvest is essentially the same (with different varieties of agave). How the piñas are cooked is where the process differs dramatically. Indeed, in most instances Mezcal producers use the centuries old method of baking the agave in an in-ground oven over firewood. The piñas are cooked in an underground, earthen pit. The pit is typically about 5 meters wide and 2 meter deep, and cone shaped down to the bottom. It is lined with rock. There are indeed a wide diversity of fire techniques, depending of the ingeniosity or commitment of the Mezcalero. Generally, a fire is started in the bottom with wood. This fire heats the rocks to extreme heat. The piñas are then quickly piled into the pit and covered with about a foot of earth, topped with a necessary chimney. This underground “oven” smokes, cooks and almost caramelizes the piñas. This is where Mezcal gets its earthy and smoky flavours.
Once roasted, the piñas are crushed in old-fashioned stone wheel pulled by horse or donkey and then distilled in wooden barrels or clay or skin pots. It's all very artisanal.
There are also more industrial techniques in use, but in less proportion than for Tequila.
A last difference is in the distillation process; more pot stills or Filipino stills are used for Mezcal than for Tequila.
two great videos by liquor.com so you can compare both alcohol in less than 2 minutes
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