A Comprehensive Guide To The Best Mezcals: 25 Bottles To Try Now

When it comes to Scotch, a little smoke really lights my fire—peated whiskies from Islay (and other regions) are some of my all-time favorites. And that’s just one of the many reasons I prefer mezcal over its cocktail cousin, tequila.

Like an ostrich and emu—both spirits have plenty in common: They’re each distilled from agave and aren’t typically aged more than a few years, sometimes just months. But for my money, mezcals are generally more complex than most tequilas, and smoke is only a part of what elevates it. 

But where to start? Whenever I recommend a new spirit category to friends, I usually ask what they like to drink first before finding an equivalent. You’re a bourbon drinker? Here are some Cognacs you’ll love. Unfortunately, my familiarity with mezcal’s technicalities is rudimentary at best. So I reached out to Lou Bank, the founder and executive director of S.A.C.R.E.D (Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education and Development)—a 501(c)3 not-for-profit that uses traditional and artisanal agave spirits from rural Mexico as a channel to advance the communities that produce these truly special mezcals and raicilla.

And the man certainly knows his stuff.

“When I visited Oaxaca for the first time in 2008, I thought I was just going on vacation and would get to enjoy a broader selection of mezcals than I was able to access in Chicago. I never expected it to lead me to start a non-profit organization,” Bank says. “What I experienced that time showed me that there was something very special going on with these spirits—that they tasted so different because they were made in a way that spirits aren’t normally made. Time stood still in these communities. They were using methods that had disappeared during the industrial revolution. I went back the following year, and the year after that. And then a couple times the next year.”

By 2013, Bank had developed relationships with mezcaleros and started hosting mezcal tastings—sending the proceeds to Eduardo Angeles (now the maestro mezcalero of Lalocura) to help build a library for the children of Santa Catarina Minas. “That money would be sent directly to the project via PayPal or they would hand me cash, which I would carry down on my next trip. By 2017 the library was finished,” Bank says. “So I went looking for other projects to support. At the same time, I found myself with a couple of corporations asking how they could participate. All of this made me realize I needed to formalize the process—so I incorporated S.A.C.R.E.D.”

Since then, the organization’s projects have multiplied. It’s now developing a rain-capture system in Santa Maria Ixcatlan, Oaxaca—and anticipating completion by May 2021. It has also helped with repairs to the greenhouse in Minas and earthquake relief to a community center and school in Zaachila—plus a mezcalero’s home in Miahuatlan. And its largest program to-date is the replanting of agave. “We’ve purchased over 22,000 baby agave plants from a middle school in Zaachila, at a price that is two to three times market rate, thus supporting this school in a community of need,” Bank says. “And we’ve given those agave seedlings to families who make traditional agave spirits, helping them replenish the source material they need to continue doing what they are doing.”

So if you want to change up your drinking game for Cinco de Mayo—or any day on the calendar—Bank curated some unforgettable mezcals for those with other preferred pours: “My great hope is to get people to drink more agave spirits that have been made the non-industrial way. But I don’t believe that the public can just jump from drinking vodka-and-soda to drinking neat spirits that taste like cheese or roasted poblanos. So I’ve designed a list of offerings that I hope can meet people where they are, and perhaps offer them a path toward drinking the kinds of crazy agave spirits that I love—so that the people who make these spirits find the kind of financial reward that enables them to continue making what their families have been creating for generations.”

25 of the Best Mezcals to Try Now

IF YOU LIKE TO DRINK COCKTAILS…

“Anyone who has entered a cocktail bar in the last five years has seen the emergence of the mezcal cocktail,” Banks says. “If you want to dip your toe into those waters, try a cocktail made with Sombra Mezcal ($36), Cruz De Fuego Mezcal’s Espadín ($40), or La Luna Mezcal’s Cupreata ($45). All three are affordable bottles that taste good neat, but also work well in cocktails. Unlike some of the more exotic mezcals, these brands work hard to make each bottle taste the same, so that bartenders can rely on a specific flavor profile for their cocktail recipes.”

IF YOU’RE A BEER AFICIONADO…

“Monte Alban ($27) is an old-school mezcal that has been in the U.S market for decades,” Bank says. “It’s gold in color and has a worm (caterpillar, really) in the bottle. Twenty years ago, if you knew what mezcal was, this is what you pictured. Smoky and salty—and earthy from the worm. If all of your beer-snob friends laugh when you order PBR, this is what you should get when they start talking about mezcal. And eat the worm, just to show them you’re for real.”

IF YOU LIKE TO SIP PREMIUM TEQUILA…

“There are hundreds of varieties of agave—the plant that provides the sugars to make mezcal, tequila, raicilla, and other agave-based spirits. If the only agave spirits you’ve had are tequilas, then you’ve only tasted one agave: The tequilana blue weber,” Bank explains. “By law, that’s the only agave that can be used to make tequila. And to meet demand, almost all tequilas have introduced some level of industrialization, so you usually only get to taste blue weber agave that has been processed in an industrial way. If you want to taste the same kind of agave that has been converted into a spirit in an heirloom manner, try La Luna Tequilana ($80). They’ve roasted the agave in a stone-lined earthen oven, milled it by hand using wooden mallets, fermented it open-air in wooden barrels, and distilled it in wood-fired copper stills. Sip it slowly, neat, and experience the taste that created the demand for tequila a hundred years ago. Again: The smaller the sip, the bigger the flavor. And once your palate has tasted the La Luna Tequilana, try the espadín from Lalocura ($153), made in the same type of heritage way but with a different agave and may well be the best illustration of why Oaxaca is the epicenter of mezcal. Also try the Ensamble from Los Vecinos Mezcal ($65), which features a few different agaves processed in an assortment of ways and blended to a sweet, peppery sipper; or Fidencio Unico mezcal ($45), which proves that not all mezcals are smoky.”

IF YOU WANT TO TRANSITION FROM MEZCAL COCKTAILS TO NEAT MEZCAL…

“Here’s a pro move: Try a neat pour of the mezcal used in your favorite cocktail. Take small sips and hold those sips on your tongue to the count of five before you swallow,” Bank recommends. “That first sip will clear your palate; the second will introduce your palate to the complexities of the spirit; the third will be your first ‘actual’ taste of the spirit, now that your palate has been initiated. The smaller the sip, the bigger the flavor. And the more often you drink agave spirits, the better your palate will get at identifying complexities. Once you’ve fallen in love with the mezcals from your cocktails, expand to crowd-pleasers like Mezcal Vago’s Elote expression ($60), Del Maguey’s Chichicapa ($68), or the soon-to-the-market Vámonos Riendo mezcal, which is an espadín-tobalá blend that is mildly fruity, mildly spicy, and absolutely delicious.”

IF YOU LIKE FINE WHISKEY…

“You sip your Scotch and bourbon slow, savoring the caramel and vanilla flavors that the wood has imparted. But you can also enjoy those same flavors on top of an agave base with reposado and añejo mezcal expressions,” Bank says. “Some gringo mezcal enthusiasts will tell you that this is the wrong way to drink mezcal—that the wood buries the flavors of the agave or that it’s not traditional to age your mezcal in wood. To the former, I’d say that the wood doesn’t bury the flavors any more than their beloved pechuga expressions do. Pechuga is a mezcal that has been distilled with fruit and (often) some form of protein, like chicken, added to the still. And those same enthusiasts love their pechuga. To the latter I’d say that the intention may not have been to age in wood. But until the mid 1900s, the only way to transport mezcal was in wooden barrels attached to donkeys, so that for sure was aged. And to all of them I would say, try Lágrimas De Dolores Mezcal’s Añejo Cenizo—a musky, vanilla-accented dram out of Durango, Mexico, that pays homage to the owner’s grandmother, who would only drink wood-aged mezcals.”

IF YOU LOVE A SMOKY, PEATY ISLAY SCOTCH…

“So you have an adventurous palate and want to drink something with big, bold flavors. Try La Venenosa Raicilla Costa ($97), which is like smoky blue cheese submerged in mineral water, or Lalocura’s Tepextate, which hits you in the face like a water balloon—just imagine that someone replaced the water with pollen, black pepper, and poblano chiles. Or try Del Maguey’s Tobalá ($122), which was made from agaves that were cooked underground—and then left there for 30 days to grow crazy molds.”

IF YOU WANT SOMETHING TO PAIR WITH YOUR DESSERT…

“Pechuga-style mezcals are generally distilled with fruits, spices, and protein (the latter usually taking the form of a chicken or a turkey),” Banks says. “For a fruity dessert, try the Pechuga from Banhez ($100), Don Mateo ($100), or Don Amado ($110)—or the new-to-market Diaz Brothers Agave pechuga distilled with Dark Matter Coffee, chocolate, and habanero chiles. If you’ve got a dark chocolate dessert, try balancing it with a sweet pour like the Durango release from Derrumbes Mezcal ($77) or the flowery sweetness of Erstwhile’s Tobalá ($90).” 

IF YOU’VE BEEN DRINKING MEZCAL AND WANT TO GO DEEPER…

“To my palate, the greatest magic of agave is expressed in the handmade spirits that are bottled and exported in the exact same form as they are consumed in the rural Mexican communities where they’re made,” Bank says. “I don’t begrudge anyone making or bottling something consistent for a broader audience, which expects each pour to taste like the first one they had. But what speaks to my palate are the surprises from great artisans who have all the skills of a four-star chef. I can’t describe to you the flavor profile of a bottle of Victor Ramos’ tobalá from Mal Bien ($109), because it literally depends on which bottle you have. Do you have the one Victor made in March 2018? Or February 2019? The 400 decisions Victor makes in his entirely non-industrial process will result in significantly different flavors with each batch. The only consistent thing about it is: If Victor’s name is on it, it will be truly amazing. The same can be said for Berta Vasquez’s Mexicano releases from Rezpiral ($100), Alberto Martinez’s Sierra Negra releases from Cinco Sentidos ($112), and Hildegardo “Japo” Joya’s Amarillo expressions from Mezonte ($170). (And if you can’t find those specific expressions from those brands, know that I’ve enjoyed literally everything I’ve had from each of the four of them. You can’t go wrong with any of their creations.) But that’s specific to my palate. If you want something specific to yours, go to mezcalreviews.com and do a little research. They have more than 800 bottles reviewed—and there’s something for everyone listed on the website.”

IF YOU’VE ALREADY GONE DEEP AND WANT TO DROWN…

“Go to Mexico. I mean, don’t go now—wait until all signs of the novel coronavirus have disappeared. When you meet the people who make these spirits—the people who have eschewed industrial techniques in favor of traditional methods; who put results before convenience—you’ll gain a greater understanding of why these spirits are both delicious and important. And why it’s important to wait. These rural communities are a treasure out of time, and that time isn’t one that is prepared to deal with the coronavirus. In the meantime, try Maguey Melate’s mezcalero-of-the-month club: The rural communities come to you in these small-batch, rare expressions sent in packages of two bottles every other month. And once COVID-19 has crawled away, think about hitting Mexico City first. There, you can pick up of El Tigre, a heritage agave spirit from rural Guerrero. (You’ll likely find a bottle or two at Sabra Dios in Condesa.) Or try Almamezcalera’s Salmiana expressions from San Luis Potosí at Erick Rodriguez’s tasting room near the Mexico City airport. Then head south to Oaxaca or north to Durango. Check in while you’re planning your trip at sacred.mx for some great tour guides who can take you to traditional producers, or to get GPS coordinates so you can make the drive yourself.”