I first published this post in 2012. At the time, mezcal was little known. And while the battle for recognition is still uphill, mezcal is far more popular today than it was back then. Since 2012, mezcal sales are up almost four times, and the vast majority of bars, restaurants and liquor stores, carry at least one brand.

I still spend a lot of time spreading the gospel of mezcal, and more times than not, the conversation begins with the comparison of mezcal to tequila. I use it as an opener at cocktail parties. I just walk up to a random person and ask them “Do you know what the difference is between tequila and mezcal?” They usually turn and walk away. OK, maybe that is not the way it goes down, but it could happen that way!

But this question usually is the starting point when people are curious about mezcal.  In many ways, mezcal can best be understood by simply tasting it next to tequila. What will you find? Most notably, you will find mezcal to be smoky by comparison. Intense and smoky like a campfire to some, or subtle and gentle to others. The person who finds the smoke to be light is usually a scotch, bourbon or whiskey drinker, and is used to bold spirits. If you find mezcal to be intensely smoky, there is a good chance you are not accustomed to drinking spirits neat.

This post gives you the basics, but if you really want to understand and appreciate what separates mezcal from tequila, you need to read my book Holy Smoke! It’s Mezcal!  (shameless self-promotion perhaps, but hey, the blog is free so this is my form of selling ad space!).  The book is available on Amazon.  Notice the cool cover shot to the right.  Buy a copy – I promise you won’t be disappointed!  Now back to our regularly scheduled program…

I believe that for most people tequila leads to mezcal (even though all tequilas are mezcals, but we will come back to that).  Tequila leads to mezcal because for most of us, it started with tequila.  We traveled down a path that likely started with bad tequila, bad experiences, and bad results the next morning.  Then we slowly found our way back to the good 100% agave tequilas that started showing up in the 90’s.  And maybe we enjoyed the extra anejos that move tequila toward cognac.  And then, what?  What else is out there?  Ahhh mezcal….I’ve heard about that.  The rise of the extra anejos coincided with the arrival of fine mezcals and then they started to appear on the shelves at your local liquor store and on the cocktails menus of your favorite gin joints.  So tequila brought us to this point and now mezcal joins the discussion…. (more…)