We all have memories of that one magic bottle…If you’re looking to find another, Tess Rose has thoughts on three amazing expressions to put on your list. As usual, these are independent mezcal recommendations, not paid content.
I was inspired to write this after an epic night of laughter and camaraderie that continued into the wee hours of the morning—courtesy of a great bottle of mezcal. After a successful and fun Mexico In A Bottle DC, I was headed to bed. On my way upstairs, I mentioned to my well-seasoned industry friends that there was an open bottle of something particularly good I had poured at my seminar. I told them they should try it. Around 4 AM, I heard the laughter and chatter still going on downstairs. I smiled to myself because I knew they were polishing off that bottle–as I’d suspected might happen.
Every now and then, you come across a bottle that seems to be pure magic. Each sip is more flavorful and enticing than the last, and even after many copitas you have a lucid feeling of being very present, rather than sloppy and blurry from alcohol. These magical bottles are usually at the root of the nights that turn from “one more sip” to drinking the last drop. I knew that the bottle of Dos Pasiones Tepeztate I had cracked open earlier was one of those bottles. As industry pros, my friends kept themselves hydrated as they sipped and chatted. After sleeping in a bit,they were no worse for wear the next morning.
Since mezcal is so batch specific, there’s no surefire way to know when or how one of these bottles might find you. But if you’re looking for something right now, I have recommendations. Based on the current releases (as of May 2026), here are three bottles that are so good that you’ll want to savor, but might be too good to stop sipping once opened, especially when paired with a good friend or two.
This mezcal is made in Santa Maria Albarradas, Oaxaca, with agaves harvested from the local mountainsides. Production is small and artesanal, the ongoing tradition of the Martinez-Perez family, who have over a century of experience making mezcal. This spirit is clean and crisp, showing off ripe agave and thoughtful distillation. The flavors are floral, vegetal, green, fruity, spicy, and dangerously easy to sip. How many producers still harvest agaves according to traditional methods, by going to the mountainside to see which plants happen to be ripe? How many more years will we be able to find 100% Tepeztate mezcals that are produced out of love, passion, and respect? We don’t know, but we’re grateful to be able to taste the tradition and culture in these bottlings. It’s so good I almost want to gate keep, but I won’t. If you can get your hands a bottle or two, I recommend it!
Made from local Salmiana agaves and fermented with a kickstart from a pulque infusion, this mezcal is an absolute stunner. The deep richness and concentration of this mezcal places it among the best in class–not only of agave spirits, but distillates across the board. It could go up against any award-winning world class spirit and hold its own. To that point, this would be a fun one to taste with fans of high-end whisky, armagnac, or even baijiu, or any category for that matter. With tiny production runs that oftentimes getting scooped up as exclusive batches, this one can be hard to find. It’s pricey, but worth it.
This spirit evokes the land it comes from, made from regional agaves and distilled in the characteristic clay pots by Sosima Olivera in Sola de Vega, Oaxaca. All in all, this bottling illustrates why certain traditions stand the test of time. Coyote is a wild Americana agave, related to Arroqueño, typically reserved for small batches. When paired with the creamy mouthfeel and earthy flavors from the clay, the bright acidity of the agaves are transportive, like a glimmer into what mezcals may have tasted like hundreds of years prior. The balance is impeccable, each sip exploding with flavor–a soft hint of smoke enhances the floral and spicy flavors. It’s a master class in flavor, based on carefully selected agaves, and highly skilled distillation. To achieve this ideal balance, batches are kept traditionally small, with only 80 liters of this produced. This mezcal is drinkable art and culture–a special bottle to be shared among special people.
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