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.

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.

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.

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.

The small producers should unite and form their own Mezcal federation.

She's a Savage. "Any clown can call it Mezcal". Love it, and so true.

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.

It's such an art. Sad to see it being ruined by the bureaucracy and corruption. Como todo en mi Mexico lindo.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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 .

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!

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

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!

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 )

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!!