The 2020 business story of Mezcal: the retail market
This is part one of a multipart series. You can read part two here. First the obvious, 2020 created unprecedented challenges for the world of mezcal. If you had asked anyone in January or February of 2020 what the sales
There’s a new gin in town
As we've said before, one of the unintended consequences of the mezcal industry's explosion is that it opens doors for other Mexican craft spirits including liqueurs, amaros, rums and whiskeys. Last year we were pleased to add gin to the
Juerte tasting notes
Another of Mexico’s recovered tradition, we can only dream of more that are as good as this one. Details Location: TlaxcalaAgave: A. salmianaMaestro Mezcalero: Gerónimo RosainzABV: 40%Tasting keywords: Licorice, lactic, molasses sugar. NOM: NABuy it today Nose Juerte has a beguiling scent: There’s a
Conversations in Agave April recordings
The launch of Conversations in Agave last month was a true labor of love. Like the rest of the world, transitioning to a virtual platform is quite a learning curve, not only in figuring out all of the technical details,
Spend your happy hour on the palenque
Today Wahaka Mezcal is launching a fun new approach to life in the time of Coronavirus. They're launching a Zoom happy hour so that you can drink along with the founders and see what's going on at the palenque. Co-founder Raza
A virtual program platform for the times – Conversations in Agave
What happens when the world is forced to shut down and all of the usual gathering places and events to learn about agave spirits are shuttered? Well, we get creative and put together an online program platform of interactive talks
Delving into the ancestral category
Intro Wahaka’s second new project of the year is a back to the future Ensemble en Barro. Details Location: San Dionisio Ocotepec Agave: Cultivated 80% espadin and 20% arroqueño Maestro Mezcalero: Alberto Morales Mendez ABV: 45% Batch: 170 bottles NOM: O148X Background As one of
The curious case of Sin Maguey, No Hay Mezcal
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[/media-credit] The original Sin Maguey, No Hay Mezcal poster.[/caption]
Come on, admit it, you’ve seen the iconic image. Did you ever stop to wonder where it comes from?
This is a story about one of the most iconic images in the mezcal world. It involves quirks from across our contemporary culture ranging from intellectual property rights to the question of who owns traditional culture. It touches on so many narratives of our era that it's a great snapshot of our time and the mezcal world.
Is mezcal sustainable?
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Left to right, Susan Coss, Raza Zaidi, Judah Kuper, and Ivan Saldaña.[/caption]
The evening before this year’s Mezcal: Mexico in a Bottle San Francisco we hosted a panel titled “What We Talk About When We Talk About Sustainability” to dig into the raft of questions about sustainability in the mezcal industry. Aside from our debt to Raymond Carver the panel was inspired by the consistent questions from drinkers and bartenders throughout the world about how mezcal can be made in a way that ensures environmental, cultural, and economic sustainability.
The topic comes up in almost every conversation and since we had a team of brand heavyweights in town the moment was ideal for the discussion. Susan Coss moderated the discussion between Judah Kuper from Vago, Raza Zaidi from Wahaka, and Ivan Saldaña from Montelobos. We were also privileged to host many other brand representatives in the audience including Fidencio’s Arik Torren, Erick Rodriguez, William Scanlan, and more.
Mezcal boot camp
Yesterday was a good day. I had a nice lunch at Calavera with Susan and then spent a little over two hours in Ulises Torrentera's "Arte del Mezcal West Coast Tour" sponsored by Wahaka and organized by the same brand's Raza Zaidi.