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Espadin is the workhorse of agave. It’s the most plentiful, easiest to cultivate and by far the most common agave for mezcal. It generally takes about 8 – 12 years to mature, and it can be grown in a variety of farm and wild environments. Often called the chardonnay of agave, by tasting different espadins made in different environments and climates, you can understand the sense of terroir in mezcal.

The Agave Karwinskii family is home to some of our favorite mezcals. Cuishe, Madrecuishe, Bicuishe, Cirial, Barril, Largo, and Tobasiche are just some of the namesused for Karwinskiis. From place to place, village to village, the same plant can be called something different. Karwinskiis grow vertically and their stalks are long, taking around 12 – 15 years to reach maturity. Compared to other agaves, Karwinskiis have a lower sugar content which tends to make these mezcals more savory, herbaceous and earthy.

Cenizo is a wild agave that is typically found outside of Oaxaca in the states of Durango, Jalisco, Puebla, and Michoacan. Like other agaves, Cenizo is a product of its terroir, which is usually at altitudes up to 8, 500 feet in dry, cold conditions. This variety tends to produce mezcals that are rich in sweet green flavors, both fruity and earthy with lactic notes.

Ensamble mezcals are a combination of two or more agave species distilled together in a single batch. Typically, the agave piñas are also roasted and fermented together. The mix of agaves can produce wildly different flavor profiles. Ensambles are the traditional style of making mezcal during a time when mezcaleros would pick whichever agaves were ready for harvest, regardless of species.

Pechuga starts with mezcal that has already been double distilled. Before the third distillation the mezcalero places the Mezcal in the sill and adds seasonal wild fruits such as apples, plums, plantains, bananas, pineapples, spices and more. next, a whole raw chicken breast, turkey breast, or other meat or game is delicately suspended in the atmosphere of the still.

Some Pechugas omit the meat and produce a vegan pechuga. The third distillation begins and the Mezcal vapor passes over the meat and nuts and fruit and condenses into a clear liquid that has an amazing taste and smoothness. Pechugas traditionally are to mark a major event like a birth, a death, a quinceañera, a wedding.

One of the house favorites at TacoVision, agave Tepeztate has a very distinct, erratic leaf structure. It produces beautiful quiotes at the end of its life that flower a rich yellow. Tepeztate takes as many as 25 years to mature in the wild, and sustainability efforts are needed in order to keep mezcal production of this agave in the future. Despite all odds it seems to flourish best on the sides of steep rocky cliffs. Mezcal from agave Tepeztate tends to be intensely vegetal with notes of green pepper and fresh jalapeño.

Many call it the king of Agave. Tobalá grows wildly at high altitudes, and its relatively minuscule size yields extremely limited quantities of intensely aromatic mezcal. Due to its tiny size and long growing period (12 – 15 years), agave Tobalá is becoming increasingly rare. Many brands have adopted sustainability efforts to ensure the proliferation of Tobalá. We love Tobalá for its rich, tropical fruity character. A great agave to start exploring the varieties outside of espadín.

The rare Agave Jabali is extremely hard to work with as it can foam and expand during fermentation and distillation. This phenomena has led to quite a few damaged stills during distillation as the spirit explode out of the wild attitude, and many of the Jabali mezcals that can be found in Oaxaca (and not yet exported) are still somewhat chaotic and unrefined. Jabali is big, bold, bright and perhaps not for the novice mezcal enthusiast.

Mezcal is produced from over 30 different species of agave and it sees like new ones are being imported to the US every day. Explore some other agaves and regions- lots of gems on this section. Don’t miss the Lumbre. It’s a super rare agave that is said to grow in an area of just about 100 square kilometers.

Sotol is a spirit distilled from the sotol plant, also known as Desert Spoon. This relative of agave grows in northern Mexico as well as Texas and New Mexico. It’s the state drink of Chihuahua with trademark flavors of earth and pine. Sotol is generally less smoky than mezcal as it is more often cooked in above ground ovens rather than earthen pit roasters.

There are only eleven states in Mexico that are legally allowed to produce distillates from agave and call it mezcal. Outside those states, the distillate has to be called something else. In Jalisco, tequila is king and is only produced from Blue Weber Agave. Spir-its distilled from other varieties of agave in Jalisco are called Raicillia. Bacanora is an agave-distilled spirit made in the Mexican state of Sonora.