he Mezcal

A cheap commercial bottle of Mexican "Mezcal" bought in Cancun. A worm can be seen in the bottom of the bottle. Mezcal is a Mexican distilled spirit made from the "Maguey" plants and refers to all agave-based distilled liquors that are not tequila. Its fabrication and consumption are popularly associated with the Mexican State of Oaxaca, however, commercial and private production of mezcal is known over a wide area of central-south Mexico outside of tequila producing areas (Jalisco and Guanajuato States). The mezcal of Sonora is called "bacanora" in reference to the municipality where it is made; the mezcal of Chihuahua is called "sotol" in reference to the plant that is used there.

There are many different species of maguey plant, and each produces a different taste of mezcal. Tequila is a mezcal made from the blue agave plant in the town of Tequila and the surrounding region of Jalisco State.

Production
Mezcal is made from the agave plant, commonly referred to in Mexico as maguey. In the tequila region the indigenous people call the plant "mezcal". Agave — a Greek word meaning noble — was assigned to the 400 + species a hundred years ago due to the large number of uses that the plant offered ancient peoples. After the agave matures (6–8 years) it is harvested by "magueyeros" (agave field workers, more generally called "jimadores") and the leaves are chopped off using a long-handled knife known as a "coa" or "coa de jima" (a type of machete), leaving only the large hearts, which are called "corazón" (Spanish for "heart") or "piñas" (Spanish for "pineapple"). The "corazón" is then cooked and crushed, producing a mash.

Santiago Matatlán in Oaxaca is known as the world capital of Mezcal. The family that is world known for their Mezcal production is the Mateos family. This family has mezcal brand that ranges from Mezcal Beneva (founder Pedro Mateo) Fandango (co-founder Tiburrusio Mateos), Oro de Oaxaca (founder Jose Lopez Mateos) and others that are just family name brands still not registered names. This family has been in business for many generations and is still influential.

Baking and mashing
A distillery oven loaded with agave "pineapples", the first step in the production of tequila.Traditionally, the piñas are baked in palenques: large (8–12 ft in diameter) rock-lined conical pits in the ground. A 3–4 foot cubic pile of trunk oak in the bottom of the pit is covered by rocks 6" in diameter and the wood is burned, turning the rocks red hot. Next the piñas are piled to 3–4 feet above ground level, then covered with banana leaves, used fiber from the last process, or agave leaves, then petate (palm fiber mats), and finally earth. The piñas are allowed to cook in the pit for three to five days. This converts the starches to fructose and lets the piñas absorb flavors from the earth and wood smoke coating the rocks.

After the cooking, the piñas are left to sit for a week, then placed in a ring of stone or concrete about 12 ft in diameter, where a large stone wheel attached to a post in the middle is pulled around by horse or burro, crushing the piñas.

Modern commercial makers cook the "piñas" with steam from a boiler in huge stainless steel ovens and then crush them with mechanical crushers.

Fermentation
The mash (tepache) is then placed in large, 300-500-gallon wooden vats and 5%–10% water is added to the mix. The government requires that 80% of this mix be from agave (as opposed to tequila which is less regulated at 51%). Cane and corn sugars may be added at this stage. In the case of smaller farmer distillers, it is left to naturally ferment for four to thirty days with the action of only airborne microbes.[citation needed] In the case of commercial producers, chemical accelerators like ammonium sulfate or urea are allowed and quantity is not limited.[citation needed]

Distillation and aging
After the fermentation stage is done, the mash is double-distilled. The first distillation yields ordinary low-grade alcohol. After the first distillation, the fibers are removed from the still and the resulting alcohol from the first distillation added back into the still. This mixture is distilled once again. At this point the mezcal may be bottled or aged.

Mezcal ages quite rapidly in comparison to other spirits. It is aged in large wooden barrels for two months to seven years. During this time the mezcal acquires a golden color, and its flavor is influenced by the wooden barrels. The longer it is aged, the darker the color and the more noticeable the flavor.

Age classifications:
Añejo – Aged for at least a year in barrels no larger than 350 litres.
Reposado (rested) – Aged two months to a year.
Joven (Blanco) – "Young" White (colorless) mezcal, aged less than two months.

Items added during bottling
A number of objects are frequently added into mezcal bottles along with the mezcal itself. These can include worms, scorpions, and decorative elements such as glass sculptures with gold leaf (see Mezcal Embajador bottles).