Mezcal Is The Fastest-Growing Liquor In The US. Why Aren't Mexican Producers Cashing In?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 21 ธ.ค. 2024
- Making mezcal is really hard work. Mexican producers harvest agave by hand and cook it in giant, earthen ovens. Then they crush it using a 1,000-pound, horse-drawn stone and distill it in copper pots. Despite all this effort, Mexican producers aren’t making the big bucks, even though demand for the spirit is booming.
While Mexican regulations do require mezcal to be made in Mexico, that hasn't stopped large, international companies from scooping up mezcal supplies, repackaging, and reselling bottles for huge profits abroad. And the only organization that can stand in the way, the mezcal certifying agency COMERCAM, has faced claims of favoritism of these large companies. This has left some century-old mezcal brands frustrated and fearful that their ancestral ways of making mezcal are at risk. So, there's a growing trend of brands leaving the certified industry and choosing to call their brands "distilled agave" instead of mezcal.
Special thanks to Casa Mezcal:
/ casamezcal
MORE BIG BUSINESS VIDEOS:
How Junior's Bakes 5 Million Cheesecakes During A Cream Cheese Shortage | Big Business
• How Junior's Bakes 5 M...
Airlines Spend Billions, So Why Are Travelers More Miserable Than Ever? | Big Business
• Why Flying Is So Terri...
Quinoa Prices Crashed. Farmers Still Harvest 100,000 Tons A Year | Big Business | Business Insider
• How Quinoa Became A Bi...
------------------------------------------------------
#Mezcal #Mexico #Businessinsider
Business Insider tells you all you need to know about business, finance, tech, retail, and more.
Visit us at: www.businessin...
Subscribe: / businessinsider
BI on Facebook: read.bi/2xOcEcj
BI on Instagram: read.bi/2Q2D29T
BI on Twitter: read.bi/2xCnzGF
BI on Snapchat: / 5319643143
Boot Camp on Snapchat: / 3383377771
Mezcal Is The Fastest-Growing Liquor In The US. Why Aren't Mexican Producers Cashing In?
I’m currently in my parents home town in Oaxaca and we grow our own agave here. I wouldn’t say it’s made everyone rich but I can see that all of us here in this village are happy. We all own houses and don’t struggle from a day to day bases. No rent and no actual bills. Money isn’t all that important to the people. It’s the laid back lifestyle of being able to say what you own, is truly yours.
Indeed, you are blessed then! Does your village have its own type of spirit?
The rest of North America doesn't understand the culture. they are all work work make money buy a big house, but they miss life.
if you dont pay your taxes it will get taken, you own nothing in reality. dont get fooled.
A truly blessed village.
That's a good happy life!!
As a scientist, I was SO impressed to hear that she starts every agave plant from seed. That is disgustingly rare in modern agriculture, and the reason why mainstream bananas are dying right now.
When you start a plant from cuttings, it is a clone. There is no chance for the plant to evolve, and they MUST evolve to keep up with diseases affecting them which evolve. And over the years, it also reduces genetic diversity of a crop, making it even more susceptible to disease.
Kudos to her. I'll buy her mezcal before anyone else's.
Real Minero
Where and how can we buy her mezcal in the USA or order it!
? I have no idea what kind of scientist you are but you're clearly not a botanist. Functionally all tree crops, as in I don't of a single one that isn't, are grown only from cuttings, this is also true of all grape varietals and basically all other crops that are perennials that take several years to mature and fruit.
It's very simple, to produce a stable variety through selective breeding takes many generations. If you're doing that with plants that takes many years to go from seed to fruit it quickly becomes the work of multiple lifetimes. However if you just take the seeds from many different crosspollinated fruit, plant them and let them mature you'll find some with roots you like, some with trunks and branches you like and some with fruit you like. It is trivial to graft root to trunk to fruit and get a tree that is hearty, healthy and bears the exact fruit you desire.
On bananas, the fungus that is currently attacking the Cavendish banana is not that big a deal. Cavendish were developed because they were resistant to the previous race of this fungus. We'll just do it again and develop a new cultivar that is resistant to this one. For someone claiming to be a scientist you certainly don't seem to have any knowledge on the subject you opined about.
But go on and keep telling how this woman who is salty about paying a fee and doing some paperwork to label her cheap booze mezcal is so great. I can go on at quite some length about all the stuff this video got wrong about mezcal if you want. It is pretty ridiculous. I only watched it because someone sent me the link because of how bad it was.
That is adaptation, not evolution.
@@KenS1267 Can you please elaborate on the stuff this video got wrong about mezcal?
Seems like a traditional story of a booming product in a Latino country
1. The product gets popular
2. The government gets involved in order to make it "official" which works fine the first two years and then gets totally corrupt
3. The people lose their government support and become poorer than before
4. Outside country gets involved and do "business" with locals
5. The outside country gets richer and the local producers stay the same or even more poorer
6. The products ends up dying or losing his original formula.
Pretty standard imo
Go a step deeper. Why did a product become popular? I strongly suspect that "big money" formulates such trends, and can push the needle. Every few years the market moves from one product to the next. No way its just by chance. Farmers always get the worst of it, globally. Its not just Latino.
If someone can tell me what the "next big thing" is, i'd love to buy some shares!
@@slozenger9000 it became popular because it's pretty similar to tequila, if you like tequila you'd probably want to try mezcal after hearing about it.
@@brycek3434 alcohol becomes trendy because of celebrities and hollyweird.
*Distilled Agave*
_”Because any clown can make Mezcal”_
Actually, please change this labeling to:
*’Questionable Agave Beverage’*
..as nothing roasted in what appears to be horse manure can _properly_ be referred to as ‘distilled.’
We’ll gladly pay to ensure the bottles of consumer goods are labeled appropriately. 😛
Although (TIP) they may stand to gain more by ceasing to attribute ‘sanitary production practices’ with ‘being a clown.’
Crazy
i work at a bar here in houston and i’ll be letting the owner know (an irish guy who looooves mezcal) to buy her mezcal. i have to try it. and the fact the agave is grown from SEED! sooo impressive.
Distilled agave
Quick question: do you like tequila?? Because, imo Mezcal tastes like burnt tequila. I was in Oaxaca 3 years ago and a friend took me to several of the "highest quality" mezcal makers and I kid you not: THEY ALL TASTED BAD. But then again, I don't like tequila. But hey, if you like tequila, maybe you'll like mezcal. It's def an acquired taste!
@@Leonpavo That probably what makes mezcal so interesting though, it changes every time, consistent might be great for large produces but not for those who appreciate the constant change of nature and how it directly affects every batch of mezcal. Wine is a huge example, every vintage is slightly different from the other.
@@ronneyrendon5045 I mean they do smoke the piñas for days 🤷🏽♂️
@@ronneyrendon5045 Mezcal is a trip. You have to like tequila to enjoy mezcal IMO.
She's a Savage. "Any clown can call it Mezcal". Love it, and so true.
Cranston and Paul being like 🤐🤐
Wow
Mexico el sucks
I love her.
When she said payaso, I felt that.
The small producers should unite and form their own Mezcal federation.
mexicans should know how to form cartels
The get shot when they try. Mexican corruption makes Chicago look tame
The Mezcal cartel 😂😂😂
Indeed, but also we shoiuld demands licor companies give the credit and share the profit. injustice is not about stating it, but avoiding it.
@@ChangoGestor You don't get it. The only producers that are allowed to exist are the ones that don't. If you are a producer in Mexico and you start giving out "too much" money to your employees you will get demands to send that money elsewhere.
good reportage, as an mexican i am very sad about how the whole lincenses and certifications work today. the mezcaleros deserve way better payment and recognition
That's the problem the government wants to control and regulate everything but they dont want to put in the effort to help the people be recognized for their commitment to heritage. It's all about the money at the end of the day.
In your opinion, how would we go about removing these barriers? Who is benefiting from these tight regulations?
For what?because they work. Because it's mexican... why do they deserve anything
@@jumboshrimps4498 First, end the North American Free Trade Agreement. Second, stop letting International Business owners (like Coca Cola that murders Union Leaders - they even have their own mercenaries) make private deals with Mexican Politicians. Third, Mexico needs to let the people dictate how natural resources are used instead of privatizing everything and selling it for pennies on the dollar.
Who is benefiting: Canada, US, and International Business Owners(Specifically, Non-Mexican land owners. Mexico is the US's #3 largest trading partner behind #1 China and #2 Canada.
An example of this happening in the US is like how Hunter Biden is looking to sell all Natural Gas Resources in the US. JiaQi "Jackie" Bao is a Chinese Spy who was indicted in the US for bribing government Officials. Hunter and JiaQi "Jackie" Bao were having an affair while she worked as his secretary. JiaQi "Jackie" Bao encouraged Hunter to make Joe Biden run for presidency and said it would be good for the US and China. Then, JiaQi "Jackie" Bao gave Hunter Biden a Map of the US that showed where all Natural Gas resources are located and wants the Biden Administration to sell it to China.
Selling your own countries natural resources to another country should be illegal, especially like how China is the US's largest trading partner - meanwhile China rapes and murders anyone that stands against them. Remember Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai who walked back her sexual assault allegations against a powerful Chinese official and said she was retiring from playing tennis competitively in a carefully-managed interview
Martians don't have these licence and certifications
Let's go to mars
I'm on the farmer's side here. I've had repackaged mezcal and it's like a warm embrace from a lover. I want the farmers to actually have the profits and keep this beautiful tradition alive.
@DonnellOkafor-pd7yn l.ike a mid tequila. Don't let descriptions like this entice you it's clear it comes from a bias perspective of someone who would say it's good even if it wasn't
I love that each fraction of the distilling process, the head, body, tail all have their uses, even the parts not used for drinking. Nothing goes to waste, a clean process.
It's wisdom from ancestor to not let anything became waste. Stuffs like alcohol and jams were invented because they couldn't afford to waste their abundance of harvest.
@@franskmering wisdom from one poor person to another 😂
Well there is waste. Lots of pulp and fiber.
I’m not a hard alcohol guy generally. But the best liquor I ever had was corn liquor (moonshine) from an old man back in the hills of the ozarks. Probably 120-140 proof but smooth with a clean finish. I’m glad people are keeping the old tradition methods alive. Machines can’t capture the subtlety that craft produced spirits have.
@Keshuel It is not just overcharging, it is having preferences for who gets certified. It is total and utter corruption just like 90 percent of the government.
@Keshuel from where did you get that he is angry, he is simply stating that machine made alcohol cannot capture the subtleties that exist in certain spirits. Also ideally you should be able to let the customers trust you without the certifications forcibly coming in the way of you but i get that that is not the world we currently live in
Ive had some delicious moonshine myself. Good taste, but weird to drink it from a jar. Makes whisky taste like water.
Based, I'm from Minnesota so I don't know if there is a "moonshine culture" here for me to try
Same. Got a few Mason jars of moonshine from an old couple down here in east Texas... better than anything I've tasted in stores.
Amazing work you guys did here, it has been sad to see how international brands are taking mezcal and selling it for a lot of money, in the past four years we have seen how a bottle of mezcal went from 10usd to 20-25usd and some are no longer real Mexican brands. Oaxaca is very well know for good artisanal mezcal, great place to visit
F,,,,, usa💩💩💩
American brands still pay mexicans to make it...
@Keshuel Spamming your comment makes you look like a paid agitator. GO AWAY.
@Keshuel HAHAHAHAHA
@Keshuel please elaborate
It would have been nice if the author of this video included the names and links to the Mexican owned producers for people to buy and support their products.
Of the producers in the video, only Real Minero is available in the US under their own brand.
@byrond2184 Sorry this is a late response but like the video explains the real mezcal you won’t be able to find in the states. Trust me it’s not this Patron, Casamigos bs. If you really want to try authentic mezcal go to Oaxaca. One of the safest parts of Mexico since it’s not close to the border. Best Mexican food you will ever try. Highly recommend Puerto Escondido
Puerto escondido is one of the most tourist filled spots cmon
i don't really drink but the way they make this is so beautiful. Planting from seeds, milling it in a mule powered stone mill, i love it! You can tell they have respect for the land and for the tradition. a million times better than big factories where everything is made of stainless steel and white concrete that get their ingredients on big freight ships from all over the world. Its a shame this type of local production is so rare nowadays. If anyone asks me what mezcal to buy i'll say REAL MINERO
I love how they have respect for the plant and even the land and animals . Seeing Don Goyo pour some mezcal onto the ground thanking the land and the agave. If you know you know. Respect.
Drink more then, cmon
@@b1zzarecont4ct 🍻
@@b1zzarecont4ct by your comment seems you’re painting a picture thinking we’re active heavy drinkers ? Is that somewhere along the lines of being correct?
@@b1zzarecont4ct it just gives me a headache and makes me dizzy. Its not a fun experience for me. Maybe I'm jjust one of those people whose genetics arent compatible with alcohol.
The fact that Edgar and other distillers can tell what day the agave will be distilled just by tasting it is impressive in its own right
Well, that's their job, and they have been doing it for decades. Impressive would be if they couldn't tell when the product they are experts at producing will be ready.
@BlockWatch impressive, since it’s their craft.
@BlockWatch Neither. Just experienced.
It’s called being an alcoholic and it ain’t that impressive
You taste how little sugar is left and how much alcohol is in there, thats about it, but the skill comes to preparing the fermentation and distilling since you can kill your self and others with wrong distilling practices. Then again in my mind person harmed of their family should south after damages from such distillery not by government mandate, specially if its for private use.
This nearly made me cry! I come from a mezcalero family, from Tlacolula Oaxaca, maybe my close family is not the one that produces It but since I was a child my beloved abuelita told me the stories of how when they prepared the land to plant the agave they found zapoteco's figures, of how her grandfather with her mother created the mezcal de pechuga and how the first car of the town arrived on train. Even she told me that those quotes like "para todo mal mezcal y para todo bien también" where created by her family to promote the drink. I'm from Puebla and my mom but especially my abuelita get really angry to see how here are a lot of "mezcal producers". Even they got mad when they see the quality of the drink.
"This is not mezcal, this is aguardiente" once told me my mom "a good mezcal will never hurt your throat when you drink it, is a smooth and fine drink."
It's just too sad yo see the hipocrisy with "producers" and the denominación de origen.
Wow what a great anecdote from your family and the history they have with mezcal. Me encantó! thanks for sharing.
Maybe the ones producing the rough harsh mezcal are the ones she is calling clowns ...
It's such an art. Sad to see it being ruined by the bureaucracy and corruption. Como todo en mi Mexico lindo.
Desgraciadamente 😞
This is how they do everything. They make it about the money, buy it on the low and jack up the price 200%, crazy.
Like everything else in this world, corruption everywhere, money is the root of all Evil
México mágico 💔
More like being ruined by foreign corporations bribing Mexican officials into putting a lot of red tape to keep the local producers from competing. Truly disgusting practice.
The folklore behind this drink makes me want to try it, very interesting creation process too. "Created with power, as if coming from a volcano". Not only that, I hope the individuals that create these drinks, from farming to distilling and packaging, get the notoriety, earnings and shares they deserve!
It's just smokier. Like scotch is to bourbon. And no they're definitely poor still
It's very good it tastes like flat grapefruit soda
Buck the Folklore. The Spanish started making liquor when they came to Mexico. The Indigenous only had fermented drinks like Pulque. The Spanish set up Haciendas (plantations enslaving Indigenous) and Missions (Churches built like prisons by Indigenous and to imprison Indigenous). Indigenous people were lashed, raped, or killed for trying to leave. The Spanish even had Dog Food stores that used to butcher Indigenous people as dog food. When Spanish bought land it came with people. It was common for the Spanish to kill like 1/5 of all their newly bought Indigenous people as an example of what would happen if anyone tried to fight back or leave.
The Priest and Hencendados (plantation owners) started distilling liquor and would give it to the Indigenous people in large amounts to get them addicted and less likely to leave the plantation or Mission.
Now the North American Free Trade Argeement (NAFTA, 1994) allows Canada and the US to buy raw materials from Mexico for cheap as'f since Wealthy Corporations (international owners) are allowed to pay workers whatever price (no minimum wage). Canada and the US continue the colonization of Mexico's resources, but with Neoliberal policies. Neoliberalism was made by economist the "Chicago Boys" like Milton Friedman (1976 Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economic Sciences). Milton Friedman worked with Agosto Pinochet to private Chile's copper mines and force the Indigenous population into slavery. Pinochet's dictatorship killed tens of thousands of working class people (supposed Communists) during the Dirty War in South America's Southern Cone.
Look up the Mexican drink PULQUE
Unfortunately the folklore isn't true, distillation didn't exist in the Americas until the Spanish arrived
This is the same process that we in Hawaii use to make okolehao. In Hawaii we use the ti root, smoked in the ground called an Imu. During thanksgiving time we put turkeys in the ground along with all the other foods as thanksgiving falls during the traditional makahiki harvest holiday of old Hawaii nei.
I lived in Hawaii for a few years and was the only haole at a all Hawaiian luau, killed, shaved and gutted the pig, beheaded ducks, built the imu etc...
Is pig not eaten on Thanksgiving? Just the turkeys and such.. I just remembered taking a walk with my friends and we were eating apples off the ground, mountain apples they were called and they had all fermented but you couldn't taste the alcohol until you were past the point of no return then you felt it, good fun
check the pechuga type mezcal, very interesting.
im so glad you made this about small mezcal producers and not the big corpo ones.
Those m,,f,, are stealing Mexican people💩💩💩
@Keshuel wut
@Keshuel sources?
@Keshuel you kidding right?
i work at a tequila bar in new orleans, mezcal is soarinngggg people come in wanting the most unique spirit straight from mexico itself, and pay $12-$17 a shot for it… these workers should be getting way more for their efforts
Lmao 12-17$ a shot...screw that
The workers do deserve more money though
@@KaoticReach1999 I would not mind paying that much for a shot of mezcal IF it ment that that same money would actually go to the farmers.
Oh damn you got some idiot sucker chumps coming into that bar! 😲😅
I love people that work hard work with their hands and are proud of what they produce 💪🏽
People who code?
@@enzop2835 modern mans hustle 👍🏽
What about the horse?
@@TheUnitedSardines does said horse write comments on TH-cam? So no one will care.
I hope BI continues to produce more content like this to shed light on some issues unknown to some or even most of us.
Doing what vice used to do
@@AwkwardYet what is vice up to, now?
@@rafaelperalta1676 vice is going into more war and government related issues
Hopefully it will be more correct. In destillation you don't use the head or the tail because it contains toxic parts, also if the mezcal or other spirits have large amounts of methanol don't drink it that's toxic the alcohol you can drink is ethanol.
@Keshuel boot
My grandpa was the last in my family That knew how to make the traditional way of making mezcal but sadly past away last year. I was interested how he made it because he had 3 big barrels full of mezcal stored in a old home that they use for farming. He told me that someone broke in and stole almost 2 barrels full of mezcal. He mentioned that making mezcal in this Pueblo is so rare nowadays because the only people that know are the older generation. When I visited I told him let’s take the last remaining of mezcal back with us. We couldn’t take the barrel because it was massive and heavy so we poured it in 2 liter coke bottles lol. I had a fun time because my grandma was helping pour and when some of it poured onto her hand she started licking her fingers. My reaction 😨 when I seen her lick it. She can’t have it cause of health issues but she was happy because she couldn’t have none for a long time. I’ve asked my grandpa if he could teach me but said it takes a long time to make and couldn’t move as he used to. Nowadays when I go visit my grandma going on the main road people have signs selling mezcal everywhere! The party’s I been to I see people bring out the coke bottles with mezcal 😂 you know that shiii the real deal when it’s in a coke bottle
Love the coke bottle thing, seen it in eastern Europe too 🤣
Licking mezcal off your hands is one of the best ways to have it
;;;;;;;;;; 2 Esdras2: 31-100 ''''''''''''''''''''''' ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;;
I love your family. I hope you write down lots of good stories from your grandparents to pass on to your own grandchildren.
God bless you and down with satan ‼️✝️✝️✝️
I worked at a liquor store for a number of years while studying at uni. In the last year I was there, more mezcal started coming through and I genuinely enjoy drinking it straight like tequila. Quite underrated here in Australia. It certainly was 500% better than the limited options prior to the introduction of new mezcal, although backed by Hollywood stars. I had two bottles of mezcal and couldn’t drink it no matter how I tried. I would try to give away free shots to friends and they said no thanks 😂. What a lovely documentary. Appreciate the traditionalist. They do what they do because of the passion they have for it, rather than massively profiting on it. Literal blood, sweat and tears. Like anyone who experienced a hard days work, that taste better!
El buen Mezcal se toma así, puro, sin mezclar con nada. El proceso de maduración del agave o maguey es de años y es sacrilegio agregar otros líquidos para alterar su sabor. Saludos
My family produces mezcal locally in Oaxaca, I always have bottles around here in the US and offer it to friends. I 100% think that if people try real mezcal they will not want to drink tequila after
What is a good brand to buy in a US Liquor store, amigo?
@liz J What’s brand does your family produce!? How can I pick myself up a bottle?? I live in Southern Cali, I love mezcal and this small documentary makes me appreciate it even more. Also I’m heading to SMA in November for my wedding, is there a local liquor store where I can pick some up? Hope to hear from you!
@@swolltron lol if you're already heading to SMA you can literally find it ANYWHERE. just ask any locals and i promise you that you'll find artisanal mezcal no more than a 15 minute distance from you. it's that abundant.
@James B. I think Liz may be an amiga 😁
I love tequila and am obsessed with Don Julio and herradudra reposado. Every mezcal I have tried doesn't even come close to the smoothness, the taste just isn't there for me. I wonder why that is. Maybe I just haven't tried the right mezcal yet
Thank you! This video shows what reporting the news is supposed to be all about. The video was informative and entertaining and gave a wonderful history or how mezcal is traditionally made in Mexico.
I love to see a woman distiller and her wealth of knowledge . She and all of her staff are true master artisans. Their knowledge , skills and experience is priceless . She kept her brand true to self she should be extremely proud of her heritage and hard work .
Back then, brewing beer was seen as women's work.
Who cares if it’s a woman.
@@vicariousjohnson9823LOOOOSEEEEERRRR!!!!
I bet, if you were actually knowledgeable about TRADITIONAL culture...that the production of pulque was "women's work" you'd look down your nose and call it patriarchal..
My family grows Magueys in Oaxaca. Uprooting small offshoot magueys and replanting is common practice. However, as small plants, they are highly susceptible to plagues like insects and fungi. And because you cannot apply insecticide or fungicide, their rearing requires frequent attention. Generally speaking, most growers dont plant seeds because it is even more time consuming. Offshoot Magueys take about seven to eight years, on average, to reach maturity. The process between planting a seed and plant maturity is about nine to ten years.
Wow! Didn't think it would take that long :S Doesn't Aloe Vera (I know it isn't the same species but I believe they are related) grow pretty quick?
What happens to the large fleshy leaves,
@@FloodExterminator Aloe vera grows much quicker yes! It is also smaller on average, and that helps a lot!
@@iwuchukwuimmanuel2576 The leaves are dried and their fibers are used to make ropes, for example!
Your family makes pulque right? We just came back from Mexico and we had some pulque from Amealco I think that’s the place. I was told it’s not the season for pulque. It was delicious and clean.
12:15 Obviously they were not prioritizing big mezcal makers over small ones, they were prioritizing big bribes over small ones.
Obviously they were because who do you think is in a position to make bigger bribes?
What a fascinating process! So traditional and you can tell this is pre-Hispanic by the processes used, especially cooking it underground. Mexicans do the same thing with barbacoa and cochinita pibil. Cooking underground with agave leaves used to cover the meat and then covering it with dirt is a quintessential pre-Hispanic cooking technique that has been used for thousands of years including being used by the Mayas, Aztecs and other indigenous people of Mexico. Amazing!
Of Mesoamerica**
Your absolutely right we also make quiote I have no idea how translated in English but quiote is so good sweetier than sugar cane it's seasonal every year they cook it in underground ovens I love it taste so good
@Josman wow I didn’t know that!! I say Mesoamerica because it encompasses other countries that do this as well. It’s always catered to Mexico when it’s not quite right. I didn’t know Tainos did too, and I have to admit I have no knowledge of Tainos. THANK YOU
@@nic558we are the chinese of latinos sorry we don’t make the rules 🕺💃
😅 the last😅 the last barbacoa I had was cooked overnight in a Crock-Pot😅 still pretty dang tasty! I guess you could kind of make it even better with the proper, controlled use of some liquid smy😊
There's a bit more to this story... Would love if there was a follow up about the larger producers over-harvesting the wild agave's. I think there should be a distinction between ancestral method mezcal and a distilled agave spirit. The traditional way is sustainable the non-traditional ways are often not. ( not in all cases )
Great piece- loved watching the people work with expert movement and then the Don offers a sip to the land and the farmers after all that hard careful labor. This deserves an even longer segment I wanted more!
Mezcal has been my favorite liquor since I first tried it. The only stuff I could ever drink was tequila and I tried mezcal on my 21st birthday and never went back. It’s hard to describe the taste but I would say it tastes extremely clean. It’s got an herbal, almost antiseptic taste to it. I know that probably sounds gross but I love it.
Zacatecano is amazing. Try it.
Im a scotch drinker too and if you like that Antiseptic flavor note you should try a Scotch from the Island of Islay(Laphroiag, Ardbeg ect).......I have too noticed similar flavor profiles from Mezcal and Islay Scotches. Way different but similar.I like Mezcals too much more than Tequila,..... Good day
@@cmatin01 Their Anejo is off the charts. Very well worth the 70$ price tag
Tequila is better 🇲🇽Viva Jalisco
@@Student0Toucher drink tequila then
For those that may ask what the difference is between Mezcal and Tequila, it simply is this. Tequila is only made from Agave Azul and Mezcal can be created with any variation of Agave/Maguey. The cooking process is traditionally the same. The rest of the difference is marketing... Oaxaca can't make Tequila because of trademarks so they focus on Mezcal. Regardless they both are great sprites.
Great video!!
The cooking is slightly different. For tequila, piñas are cooked in ovens while. For mezcal, piñas are cooked in the hole in the ground that gives it its distinct smoky flavor.
Tequila also can only be called tequila if it comes from tequila jalisco
@@boost3188 Original tequila and Mezcal are both cooked in the ground. The tequila industry moved away from that practice.
HUGE difference in taste tho. Not anywhere near the same taste.
@@jrh8302no..son como 5 Estados en los que se produce tequila y se puede nombrar tequila
In the last couple of years I discovered Mezcal and I love the smokeiness of it so I can see why it's popular but I hope the farmers unionize.
I've been a fan of mezcal for a few years and went to Matatlán Oaxaca earlier this year. We had a great time visiting the smaller producers and getting a tour from the owners😍
The Mexican government should cover the certification and testing costs to domestic distilleries benefit from this boom
The government should probably do nothing considering what happens most of the time the government gets involved in the market.
They never do.
I'm in Mexico and Andrés Manuel López Obrador cares only about one thing: HIMSELF.
Facts but anything the gov touches now a days... Well you know the rest
@@alexis1156 The market (private capital) successfully uses the government often to generate billions of dollars via subsidies, land grants, trade liberalization, tax dodging, bailouts, corrupted elected officials, etc, etc, etc.
But according to you, the small Mexican producers should "NOT" receive these same benefits.
Omg I wanna buy mezcal from Don Goyo because the humbleness he has and wanting to preserve that tradition make me want to support his craft even more 😢
This is the best reporting I’ve seen about traditional mezcal. Thank you!
I was a big fan of tequila and tasted my first mezcal at the mezcal festival in Oaxaca in 2000. I never turned back! I don’t mind paying a lot for my mezcal but I would like the Mescalero to get their fair share.
That’s why it’s always better to buy from small businesses win win for both
eh what is fair anyways, they just produce it, not entitled to the markets that buy it.
@@tranderrick Just because exploitation of the producers of products is common doesn’t mean it should be accepted.
Love the whole process and traditions they do; growing it from seed and planting new ones. Love the tradition of thanking and blessing the land, plants and everyone involved.
I love Gracelia's Mexican integrity, tradition and heart💚
I remember my Great grandfather use to tell me, this was my drink when I was poor and if it was good enough then it’s good enough now. This is the drink of our people in the fields. Even in his wealth he valued this drink 🙌🏼
Que Dios bendiga a Mexico ❤️ 🇲🇽 !
@@Hakai11X Un poco de lectura te hace falta ..algo para que Puedas iluminar tu camino y ser un poco más Feliz.. Juan 3:16
My cousin grows maguey, which is what the plant is called in Oaxaca. The state has emphasized “artesenal” production, instead of mass production as with tequila further west. Result is those small-batch mezcales sell for very high prices in USA. It’s been good for the village-based industry
I’m Mexican American and I used to think that Mexican beers and liquors like tequila were actually word class. I’ve traveled a bit to not so popular or known places and tried some of the beers and liquors and I can say at least to me, is that the only reason why most of the beer and alcohol from Mexico is famous is because it’s close to the US and the US made it popular worldwide. I recently tried a beer in south east Asia made locally there and it tasted better than corona.
Very well done video. Thank you for showing us the traditional ways. I hope these small producers can find their deserved recognition.
Excellent video. My friends and I visited a tequila operation in 2002 in Puerto Vallarta that was very similar to this mezcal group. We watched workers use the identical processing. The difference between mescal and tequila is that tequila can only be made by the Blue Agave variant, while mezcal can be made from up to 50 different variants of the agave plant.
Pure tequila, of which I brought back 5 bottles, has the same smoky taste as mezcal. The standards at the time required that tequila have a mixture of at least 50% agave to have the right to label it tequila. Large companies, like Jose Cuervo, mix its agave with caramel, which gives it the distinctive color we associate with tequila. The added sugars also go straight to our brains that we feel the next morning.
Pure tequila is color free, almost like water until you taste it. It goes down smooth and an imbiber doesn't wake up with the headache associated with a hangover. Agave products are very light and smoky. There is an undertone of the distinct taste to one of the plant's 2nd cousin, the coffee bean.
I haven't tasted the contemporary mezcal brew as the doctor closed my saloon rights in 2006 to keep my heart regular. But, using the ancient techniques and processes we see in this video, I'm confident mezcal has the same unique taste that only cooked agave can bring.
alcohol is poison
I hate it when people spread the myth that cheap alcohol causes hangovers. ALL alcohol causes hangovers I don't care if it was organic farm to table whatever it is the ETHANOL that causes it. You probably think sulphites in wine cause hangovers to because your yoga teacher told you so
Most Tequila producers now use autoclaves
to cook or steam the Agave there makes all the difference it's no longer the traditional method that affects the color and taste.
my dad used to work for a company that makes and sells them and got to tour one of the plants in mexico. really neat stuff. we got to pick which plant for our bottle and took it home as mezcal
There is no way the bottle you took home was even 10% from the plant you picked out haha
@@itsmederek1 fair assumption except we watched them do it so. tho this plant was def more industrialized than the one shown here. still big clay ovens tho
1:14 love her so much, hats off to her and people like her
Funny story, I swiped this plant from the side of the road in Florida once. I thought it was aloe for a second. Then I realized I didn't know what it was and now I do. So thanks, it was years ago
Agave is everywhere in America if you look out for it. I believe only some varieties are good for fermentation and distilling though. Most of the ones you see are ornamental varieties that likely don't have the ideal sugar content
Mezcal was the shot of choice at my high-school parties, That was back in the 1990's in Rural Australia. Crazy to think how a local traditional liquor can spread so far around the world.
Damn! 😲🤪
This was so awesome.... these farmers ARE heritage.... ARE history.... they are worth protecting!
My Mexican coworker brought me a bottle back when he went last year. I had never had mescal before and was blown away by how excellent it was. I savored every shot. Immediately my new favorite alcohol above anything else. So good!
You.. you drank it as shots? you monster
Mescal and tequila are the only alcohols that agrees with my body. Spending time in Mexico has changed me forever. Taste as many as possible. The doors are open and can not be closed now.
@@MissCleo24 yup it's true
Y no da resacasa 🎉
Glad you enjoy the real americans drink of choice. (Native indigenous peoples of the americas)
"Any clown can make mezcal" sheeeeeesh
Also, i loooove seeing videos like this. The numerous people who make this happen for a bottle to be sitting in front of you at a store
i'm a native speaker, and you can truly feel the unadulterated vitriol when she said that
On a recent drive from Tepic to Guadalajara, I marveled at all the maguay planted alongside the road. Every nook and cranny had maguay planted in neat rows, up and down the hillsides, and literally along the highway. The obvious farm fields of maguay were omnipresent. To a newcomer, it was an amazing sight that went on and on for muchos kilometros.
You were looking at millions of dollars. Each plant can weigh up to 40 kilos. And they pay 20-30 pesos per kilo
Yeah but the majority of the state of jalisco uses them to produce tequila instead of mezcal
Such a beautiful process. Much respect for the growers.
Much respect to those farmers, who put their sweat and effort into their products and preserved their traditions
3:51 Okay that actually made me laugh out loud 🤣🤣🤣😂😂
Maguey, is the one to drink! These local industries are inspiring a lot of travelers to go to México and find these tiny Maguey producers!
I first tried Mezcal over 20 years ago at a party in Berkeley, CA and had an indescribable experience I've never had with any other drink. The real, authentic Mezcal is definitely not for the faint of heart and I highly respect and value it as an elixir in a class all by itself 💜🙏.
not for the faint of heart? stfu with your faker ass. it's just smokier tequila that isn't made in Tequila, MX.
The same horse was used to make your first bottle as your most recent one
To me is the most underrated hard liquor ever!!!.
I know all these regions they talk about and it’s a delicacy for a short period of time. The taste is so amazing. Kudos to this informative video.
I really love my culture. Everyone here is so lively and hard working. I hope one day I can go to Mexico to see the rest of my family.
@Angrysinn im Jamaican and i appreciate Mexican culture too😭 very hardworking and hospitable.
Every Mexican family I've interacted with was exactly as you say, lively and hard working. Eating with my Mexican friends families for dinner would make me feel more at home and loved than I've ever gotten as a child from my own family. It's something I feel a lot of American families lack, so I always greatly appreciate and admire the culture as well, there's nothing else like a Mexican house party lol
@@aeong_bread that's what happens when u dont lose touch with who you are. And ur culture etc. The reason americans "lack" this is because of how diverse and because its a giant pot where everyone just melts into one
Yeah if only you people would be so Lively and hardworking and make Mexico a country that you people would stay in
@@jacquestube hahah you tried. R u comparing it to America? Look how the other day how many Americans choosing Mexico to live because of its affordabiltiy. Stop the nonsense.
"Any fool can make mezcal" well said lady. As below, form your own union. Screw the importers and imposters. ✌🏽❤️
I can't get enough of these massive Agave plants. I would happily spend 3-6 months of my life working on an Agave plantation to take part in this wonderful process.
What a beautiful documentary. Bravo to the hard working people that make Mezcal the ancient way.
I love hearing stories about things like this that are so strongly rooted in the culture and history they belong to. Not an expert in the field, but it's certainly good to give these people a voice reaching far beyond Mexico. If I get a chance to try real Mezcal, I'm certainly going to do that. And, to be honest? I wanna know how this smells so badly. Especially the ovens. Don't get me wrong, heat of just being there would kill me. But the smell of smokey sweet agave and earthy scents has to be good.
We just toured a vinata "the word for palenque in Michoacán" and the smell and taste of the freshly cooked agave is sweet, and very similar to a sweet potato. Only difference is that it's slightly fibrous in some parts.
Wow everyone was working so hard creating the agave oven. Phenomenal video. Learned so much here
Our ancestors used to make ropes and other bags from the fiber extracted from the leaves agave of this plant and using the stem that grows in the middle of it, dry it well and make a bot and use it for traveling on lake water for fishing. I did not really know there is a liqueur made from this plant. Thanks for the video.
Been watching Tim Smith’s tour around the Tequila and Mescal regions of Mexico. Been absolutely fascinating to see the process and the genuine respect for each others love of producing to quality alcohols.
God bless my Mexican brothers and sisters the food and drink is beautiful hard to miss and they are a strong people Gracias 🙏!!
These small businesses need some good marketing. People will buy up traditional anything at a higher cost more than the big business
that marketing package is what will make it cost the price the big guys are selling for.
marketing is a disease
This is so wholesome, he even pours one out for the homies.
BRAH🤣
i hope business inside continues to make content like this
Currently enjoying Montelobos Espadin mezcal. Love it. I wish my North Carolina ABC liquor store had the other versions.
has probado la edicion de pechuga, es aun mas sabroso
it hurts to see these traditional craftsmen being exploited like this ... its not just them but it happens all over the world, in asia, the middle east, africa, etc ... some traditional craftsmen with ancestral knowledge passed down for hundreds or thousands of years, some american or european middleman buys them for pennies and then sells them to other middle class europeans or americans for an enormous profit
Just like pure vanilla and the process it takes. I respect the old ways, there’s still a place for those methods. ❤
Its always them !! ( Europeans) yet they always talk o third world countries are this and that!! They are first world thieves
Respect, that they grow from seed. It’s a pain managing all those seedlings
I wonder why they don't take the offshoots from the older plants intead? Seems like it would be a lot easier.
@@WanderingMiqo because using the same plant over and over again weakens their genes to protect themselves from diseases and pests, if one plant gets sick the others will have an extreme chance to die as well, like banana trees.
@@WanderingMiqo The extra sweat and tears make the drink so I'm told
@@WanderingMiqo cause they’re clones, so they have no genetic variation. A disease can wipe out an entire farm if need he
@@WanderingMiqo You're talking about what is a clone which of course has only the same genetics as the mother plant which results in monoculture--and that just ain't healthy. Seed by contrast inherently brings a much more complete package of the historic genetics of that mother plant. But, yep, cultivating offshoots is quicker.
I think alot of people lump mezcal in the same category as tequila and associate it with some bad cheap tequila experience they had with it in high school or college. There's alot more to tequila and mezcal than just the cheap stuff everyone thinks and to me it's one of the best liquors out there 👍
3:44 this is my best part!
I'm half Mexican in this is
the first time I've ever heard
somebody in Mexico ever
say they like their
brown skin 😊
Maybe you are hanging out with the wrong people
@@putod 💯 right
by the way, in spanish "piña" translates to "pineapple" which definitely makes sense considering the resemblance they have
"Any clown can make mezcal" shots fired lol 🤣 what a G
What a wonderful, authentic education on mezcal!
Mexico is such a beautiful country.
Yes it is. Deserts to mountains to oceans to jungle.😊
I want to hit the border at the start of November to enjoy the countryside on and cross the border for some Day of the Dead celebration some good eating maybe a bit of Christmas shopping and some friendly people. On both sides of the border🙂
So the certification process was implemented to make sure that the process of making Mezcal stayed traditional and legitimized the traditional methods, but is requiring producers to modernized and use new expensive equipment🤔 to meet a newly established standard? That does not make any sense.
So interesting that it's more popular in the United States than Mexico..
Just like 5 de Mayo
@@whattodowithlife._.5722 100% true, when the mezcal thing got popular in the US, it eventually got some popularity here in México as well but now the trend is over and tequila is very comfortable as always as the number one Mexican hard liquor.
Trendiness and posing is a major part of culture / bar "culture"😅😁
These are some really hard working good people. Thank you for putting up great content on how people work and live around the world. Shalom
I live here in southern Mexico. Usually we see people walking around selling Mezcal in large plastic soda bottles. They come from time to time. When they approach you, they offer you a taste. I had heard a story from my boss that he knew some producers of Mezcal, and they would tell him that the "devil" would come to taste their Mezcal. Supposedly every time he would come, he would come different, he would come as business man, or just a regular guy. All he would do is arrive and tell them, "I'm here to taste your Mezcal" He would get a taste, tell them it's good or not, and just leave, not saying another word. But I don't know, a lot of people here superstitious .
This is what we call how a country liquor became world famous. In India we have Mahua flower liquor, feni liquor, Arrack liquor etc., but only for local consumption, government has banned the marketing of these liquors in international market. Alcohol is a heavily taxed commodity in India.
It should be brought under One district one product and Atmanirbhar bharat 😉
I tried cashew feni in Goa, not for me I have to say 😅😂
@@nnnddd101010 Then don't drink
Tequila, called Vino Mezcal from the XVIII Century and up to the beginning of the XX Century in the state of Jalisco, where it was born, was also the liquor of the poor up until the 1980's when the "Reposado" method for producing a smoother tequila with a lightly smoky flavor was developed by Tequila Herradura, then the Mexican middle and upper classes started drinking Tequila Reposado instead of Brandy, Cognac or Whiskey and the price of Tequila went up and became the most expensive spirit in Mexico.
The problem with Mezcal (which is made from a different kind of agave than the one used to make Tequila) is that several Mexican producers in the state of Oaxaca were bought by American corporations (including tens of thousands of land where agave for Mezcal is grown) and now they are producing Mezcal exclusively for export to the U.S. and they are setting the price and dominating the market thanks to a strong Marketing campaign, and they are the ones who pushed for the regulations on Denomination Of Origin to exclude many small producers of Mezcal in Mexico beyond the geographical area where they have their agave producing lands. The big fish eat the little fish.
Actually you are not quite right you start off incorrect. So I cannot read your entire post but. Agave wine is not tequila / was not tequila. Agave wine with its own thing and not high alcohol. Not a distillate. Then distilling came along and you got tequila. Kind of like "regular wine" is not brandy or cognac. 🙂
@@RRr-yl8zr : Tequila was already a distilled spirit, but it was called "vino mezcal de Tequila" up to the beginning of the XX century, and there are old photographs of shops in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco where you can see the signs advertising the sale of "Vino Mezcal de Tequila" (because it was made in the town of Tequila, Northwest of Guadalajara) which later was called simply "Tequila". Then, it was the cheapest alcoholic beverage poor people could afford besides "Pulque". I never even mentioned the word Agave, which, by the way, was the kind of Agave plant, that was produced in the regions of Tequila and Los Altos De Jalisco (Agave Azul Tequilana Webber).
@@sigmundgroth6452 @sigmundgroth6452 agave wine came first and was more that's what they had before they started distilling it and making what you call tequila. Now I'm wondering what the difference are between tequila wine and pulque.
There would be a difference between tequila wine and tequila and a difference between wine and brandy/ cognac.
I also live in the Sonoran deserts I have some familiarity with agaves and I had a friend from the state sonora, Plus I live in a border state along the Mexican border . So I may have a "more complete basic understanding" of these things 🤔🙂
And of course anything/alcohol produced in your "neighborhood/town" will probably be the cheapest version of alcohol that you can get compared to import 😅🙂
It's stuff like this that makes me happy I learned Spanish as a kid, so badass to hear these people talk about what they love doing. Ojala q puedo viajar a oaxaca en el futuro y probar Mezcal buena
The situation that is going on with bananas comes to mind. Too many years of using only clones has led to no resistance to diseases and now they are at risk of dying out. I'm glad that one farm is working with new baby plants from seed.
but with bananas there was no seed what we use today for the majority of the bananas we see in stores is a sterile plant cloning is the only way to make more it was created that way bananas with seeds exist they just are not like the bananas we see in stores
I've been told once that ALL Tequilas are Mezcals (due to them being made with Agave) but not all Mezcals are Tequilas (due to them not being made with Blue Agave which is what Tequila is made with IIRC).
Exactly right! Thanks for watching :)
Same thing for bourbon and whiskey
Tequila is made specifically from Blue Agave, only in certain regions, and the plant is steamed.
Mezcal is generally made from Espadin agave, and the plant is smoked.
But no, tequilas are not mezcals and mezcals are not tequila
@@titoyama5760 bourbon is still whiskey. It’s made with corn. Whiskey is the general term for all the different types.
@@hitthecouch every bourbon is whiskey but not every whiskey is bourbon
That's what I was trying to tell the main commenter
Tequila is my favorite drink, and I've always wanted to try Mezcal, it sounds so so good. I'm in England though, so I can't find it anywhere. I think I'm gonna have to order it online.
This was a cool video. The process is fascinating
I love Mexican and South American culture.
Que Dios bendiga Mexico❤Saludos desde Sicilia
that's where cooperative unions between producers should come to be.
Incredible how mezcal production is still so rooted in tradition after centuries! It’s sad that many small producers are being pushed out, but I love how Graciela stays true to her family’s methods.
"cualquier payaso puede hacer mezcal", me encanta su orgullo en la tradición
Anglos
As an alcoholic (not a proud one but one nonetheless), I've never heard about this but I'd loveeee to try it.