Agave

Mezcal is the broad category, and tequila sits inside the agave family alongside it rather than above it. Mezcal has its own protected region covering several Mexican states, with Oaxaca the one most associated with it. Raicilla comes from parts of Jalisco and bacanora from Sonora, each with rules of their own. What they share is agave, hand work and small production. What they do not share is a house style, which is why one bottle tells you very little about the next.

The difference starts before fermentation. Tequila producers steam the agave hearts in ovens or autoclaves. Most mezcal producers roast them instead, in a conical pit lined with hot rock and burning wood, covered over for several days. The agave takes on smoke while it cooks, and that flavour survives distillation intact. Smoke here is a by-product of the cooking method rather than something added afterwards, which is the reason it reads as woven through the spirit rather than sitting on top of it. Intensity varies from producer to producer and from batch to batch.

Espadin is the species behind most mezcal, because it is cultivated and reaches maturity sooner than the alternatives. Tobala, tepeztate and madrecuixe grow wild, take far longer and yield much less spirit per plant, which is why bottles made from them are scarce. Each species tastes different. Espadin sits in familiar territory, while the wild agaves run more floral, mineral or herbal depending on where they grew. The species is usually printed on the label.

No, although a great deal of it is. The strength of the smoke depends on the wood, how long the pit burns and how carefully the roast is managed, so it ranges from a faint char to something that dominates the glass. A few producers cook without a pit at all, and those mezcals taste much closer to a blanco tequila. If smoke is not what you want, read the producer's notes first.

Neat and at room temperature, in a wide shallow cup or a small glass, sipped slowly rather than thrown back. Chilling flattens the aromatics, and orange slices with chilli salt are the traditional accompaniment in Mexico.

No. Sotol is distilled from the desert spoon plant, which is not an agave at all, and it comes mostly from Chihuahua and the neighbouring states of northern Mexico. The flavour tends to run greener and more herbal.