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Five glass bottles of different mezcals at the Palomas Mensajeras vinata

The mezcal brand Palomas Mensajeras first landed on our radar in September 2019 at the Mezcal Reviews 3rd anniversary party. That night, we were honored by the attendance of legendary Mexican spirits importer William Scanlan of Heavy Metl Imports. He arrived with a few agave gems not-yet-available in the US. Holding up a bottle, he […]

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Iontki Anapu Agave Hero

After the Mexican Revolution, a new constitution was drafted in 1917, which included the empowerment of the government to expropriate privately held resources, including land. Sweeping land reform followed and continued to evolve for the years following. By 1934, Lázaro Cárdenas became president and he introduced policies that allowed for rural farmers to petition the […]

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Uruapan Charanda Casa Tarasco Spirits

While the sugar cane plant originated in southeast Asia, the people of Mexico have been using it for a variety of different purposes since the plant arrived via Spanish colonists in the 1500s. It was those same Spanish colonists who prohibited the production of “homemade spirits” through the late 18th century in order to protect […]

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Emilio Vieyra el Limon Don Mateo Mezcal

We first heard of Emilio through the Mezcalero brand. Throughout the 2010s, the Mezcalero brand was known for bringing new producers, agaves, and distillation methods to the US market. It’s something they still do today, and they were the first brand to bring Emilio’s mezcal to the US in 2015, as single batch named Mezcalero […]

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Don Luis feeds fire under small clay pot stills

“Have you ever tried raicilla?” they asked, late into a mezcal-soaked Friday night. It was August 2016 in Austin, Texas. A few hours earlier, Jonny and I decided to do some serious mezcal research after ending the work week. The plan was to visit some of the top mezcal destinations in Austin. We began our […]

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Chacolo Bottles Hero Image

The Volcán de Colima most recently erupted in early 2019, spewing fire and volcanic ash up to 13k feet above the crater. Our friend Pancho was camping on its steep slope when the eruption first started. “I heard this deep sub-surface crack,” he told us. “Like a bone breaking far beneath the ground we were […]

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A room with a table of mezcal flights and a Mezcal Reviews sign on the wall

The Annual* Mezcal Reviews Anniversary tasting party is one of the premiere events in Austin, Texas. Each year, thousands of mezcal fans await the special date.. hoping for an invite. Those lucky few enjoy a night of mezcal flights, food, and high ABV conversation. Okay, that might be a bit exaggerated, but there has always […]

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Bottles of Hacienda de Bañuelos and Los Portillos

After two years without an annual Mezcal Reviews research trip (¡pinche covid!), we finally traveled back to Mexico in May 2022. Our previous trips brought us to Oaxaca – by far the biggest mezcal producing state. After multiple Oaxaca trips, we knew it was time to expand our horizons. Mexico is a huge country with […]

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Palenque Visit

This is a guest blog post from our mezcalerbro Chris Palenque visits are some of my fondest memories from trips to Oaxaca. A palenque is a mezcal distillery where the agave is roasted, crushed, fermented, distilled, and bottled. I’ve been lucky enough to have enjoyed intimate visits with some of the most gracious mezcaleros and […]

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Cascahuin Distillery

We don’t drink much tequila. Most tequila on the US market is mass-produced and over-industrialized, which is a major a turnoff. While almost all tequila distilleries have seemingly lost their way with the use of diffusers and other chemical additives, there’s still a very small handful of producers that are making tequila the traditional way. […]

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Caballito Cerrero UNESCO Distillation Site

Our first contact with Caballito Cerrero came several years ago, at our annual Mezcal Reviews Party. The celebration marks the anniversary of the launching the Mezcal Reviews website, and it coincides nicely with Mexican Independence day in September. We typically have 6-8 pre-selected flights, on which we gather feedback, and there are usually another 15-20 […]

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Three floor to ceiling shelves of mezcal at AB Liquor #2 in Austin Texas

Texas is the second largest state in the United States of America. The state has the longest stretch of border with Mexico. The entire borderline is demarcated by a river, the Rio Grande, and borders four Mexican states: Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Chihuahua, and Coahuila. Thousands of families share relatives on both sides of the border. […]

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