Then they offered me a full-time job and when I noticed, it was five years and then 10 years. I worked for Corona Extra for 10 years until they sold it to Anheuser-Busch In Mexico, we have lots of wine and spirits’ shops in every corner. We like to drink in Mexico is a great and a huge business. So, it’s very easy to go to your local wine and spirits shop and it will be full of brands, from the well-known brands to the small producers. So, I remember seeing those brands in my house or in my family’s houses.

Susan: Wait, wait, wait. You said that mezcal is made from all different mezcals. You mean all different agaves, right? The twist on a Margarita, the Mezcalita, is a great introduction to mezcal as it’s a familiar flavour profile that lets the smokiness of the mezcal shine through without being overpowering.It’s a mezcal that uses agaves that has been matured for seven years, cooked in the ground, using a specific wood naturally fermented in wooden taps for a week or two, depending on the season, obviously. We use the tahona to grind the agaves slowly, you know, we have our own burro or donkey called Chicerito. And then we distil twice in small copper still pots, that’s it. And that’s it. Nothing else. We have a beautiful big range of tequilas and mezcals. Then almost three years ago, I was at the Edition Hotel in London having a mezcal with a couple of friends, and then they were, “Listen, we want to do mezcal, why don’t you help us?”

Susan: Now I always end by asking people if they could drink anything anywhere, what would that be? Now for you, I’m going to change it slightly because I know what you would drink, but maybe if you could tell me where you would drink it, if there some places that you really love. Maybe some mezcalerias in London or in Mexico, a few places that you’d love to drink your mezcal. The opening flight of Mixto Tequila – Blanco delivered a set of Silver medals for El Sueño Tequila Silver and Sierra Tequila Silver. El Sueño Tequila Silver was “light and bright” on the nose, with “delicate citrus and a peppery palate”. Sierra Tequila Silver had a “slight nuttiness”, but was found to be “what you’d expect” from a mixto blanco – “solid”, noted one judge. Five Gold medals added to the tally, with awards given to “highly aromatic” Tequila Herradura Reposado and “soft, candied citrus, peppery” Dobel Diamante. and Salmiana actually is the agave that we used to make pulque. It’s a massive, massive, agave plant with leaves the size of your screen. It’s popularly called verde or green because the notes, when you drink or smell it, are like fresh jalapenos, spinach, kale, asparagus, you know, super, super green. Susan: So, you could, you could live your life drinking a different mezcal, like literally every day of your life.In the 100% Agave Mezcal – Joven, a Master medal was awarded to Mezcal Artesanal Noble Coyote – Coyote de Amatlán. Athavia found this to be “quite salty on the nose, with sea aromas”, leading to “lots of character and funky notes” on the palate. This is compatible with the approach taken by Derrumbes, which produces mezcals from seven states. “Each bottle represents a single state, and each one was chosen to highlight the traditions, the terroir and organoleptic style of the region where it was made,” says Robles. “As the category grows, so does the interest in exploring different brands, states, and types of agave.”

They’re losing the traditions and I hope it will not happen. We want eventually to add pieces of Huichol into our bottles, to promote and to help them because they live very humbly. The way they live is just making these pieces of art. Huichol art it’s called. If you Google it, you will find some beautiful art, I’m sure that you have seen them. Eduardo: I think that people need to give it a chance. If you will drink mezcal one day, just drink mezcal. If you go out, please do not drink mezcal after you have drunk two glasses of wine or a bottle of champagne, please just take your time and give yourself the opportunity to enjoy mezcal. Outright industrialisation, meanwhile, has the potential to put mezcal’s reputation as a handcrafted and artisanal spirit at risk. As Moreno puts it: “The beauty of mezcal lies in its unrepeatable imperfection.” A complex Joven that’s incredibly smooth from using a conical earthen oven with mesquite wood to cook the Tobalá agave. A volcanic stone ensures the product is milled before it ferments naturally. The result is crisp and bright with dried herbs, honey and earthy notes.Fortunately, mezcal is in a good position to maintain not only its image, but its traditional methods and heritage too, and it has no shortage of brands committed to this goal. For Moreno, Koch’s 14 years of experience and the fact that it is a fully Oaxacan brand are points in its favour. “We have learned to plan, with a focus on where the category is moving forward,” he says. “We have the necessary supply of agave plants to meet demand. We’re a brand that organically has an agave future.” Sierra Milenario Extra Añejo also received the top award for its “complex” profile. Tasting notes included: “Resinous, rich and bold nose with some dates and dried fruits. Spiciness has mellowed wonderfully, leaving toffee and subtle wood influence. Well‐rounded, balanced and delicious.” A Silver medal was given to coffee‐flavoured Sierra Milenario Tequila Cafè. Two more Silver medals were hailed in the Tequila Liqueur round. El Sueño Watermelon Liqueur pleasantly surprised the judges with its “fresh watermelon notes” and some “light earthiness”. Silver winner Horus was likened to a “very well done chocolate cream”.

Eight Gold medals were also enjoyed in this round. Among the Gold winners were: “vibrant, delicious” El Tequileño Cristalino; “nicely balanced” Teremana Reposado, with “green peppers on the finish”; and “unusual, distinct” Vivir Tequila Reposado, which boasted “vanilla notes and Bourbon barrel influence”. I was like, “You know what? Let’s do it together. Because I had, in my mind, for many years to build, to create a mezcal brand. I will be all interested if we do it together, if I’m part of it.” And we were like, “Okay, let’s do it.” So, we started talking three years ago. And that’s how we came up with this brand. What people don’t realise is that there are so many different types of mezcal, some really light and fruity and some really strong, smokey and punchy. This mezcal is a mix of paplote agave with espadin and tobala varieties. The resulting flavour is an explosion of contrast, with body and an acidity that highlights smoke and fruit. Moreno has seen a change in this regard. “There are brands that no longer handle the concept of artisanal mezcal because they know where they are headed, and they need industrialisation to keep up with the demand,” he says. Ivan Robles, finance director for Derrumbes Mezcal, takes a balanced view when it comes to weighing up the pros and cons of the industrialisation of the category. “It’s everywhere now, with big corporations focusing their energy in terms of efficiency and costs, and I don’t think this is a bad thing,” he says.

Usually, tequila companies wait no more than five years for the agave to be mature. Some companies claim that they leave the agave for longer. In mezcal, espadin agave needs a minimum of seven years to mature before you can harvest, then you have different wild varieties. Varieties that take anything from 7 to 10, 15, 20, 25 years, the plant, to mature before you can harvest it. Two Gold medals were given to “classic, earthy” Matra Mezcal and “very smooth” Mezcal Artesanal Noble Coyote Espadín‐Tobalá, with “ripe banana” notes. A Silver medal went to Mezcal Artesanal Noble Coyote Jabalí. You have mezcal industrial, you have artisanal mezcal, and you have ancestral mezcal, which follows different guidelines and different production methods. So always look on the bottle for artisanal or ancestral. If those words are on the label, then you are safe and also always look for the hologram and actually it has a QR code that you can scan.