How mezcal is made

One of the first things you notice when visiting a palenque/fabrica/vinata (distillery) is that the methods and equipment being used seem almost as prehistoric as the plants themselves. Just as different species of agave have evolved to thrive in different climates, each region has come to utilize its own signature production methods and tools for making what its community has come to look for in a pour of mezcal.

A basic introduction to the process and its variations below:

Javier Barranca walking through a grassy hillside with multiple large green agave plants, a few trees, and a bright blue sky.
A desert landscape with large green agave plants in the foreground, scattered rocks, dry grass, and a background of pine trees and distant mountains under a clear sky.

Agave are among the world’s oldest and most diverse genera of plants. Often mistaken for cacti, to which they are not related; and aloe, to which they are only distantly related, the 200+ species of agave are succulents in the Asparagaceae family of plants, closer relatives to asparagus and artichokes. They are extremely hearty plants, able to survive in a range of climates, and grow extremely slowly, taking between 5-55 years to reach maturity, while yielding as little as 7 liters of finished mezcal per ton of cooked plants.

  1. GROW

A landscape view of mountains under a cloudy sky with green vegetation and a large plant with spiky leaves in the foreground.

2. COOK

After the agaves are harvested, the pencas (leaves) are shaved off with machetes, revealing the piña (body).

A conical pit oven is dug into the ground, and a wood fire is lit in the bottom. When the flames are reduced to barbecue-friendly embers, river rocks are piled on top of the wood, then the piñas, then palm fronds or woven mats, and finally the top is covered with dirt sealed with dirt. Depending on the size of the piñas, the ambient temperature, and other factors, the oven will be left to roast for somewhere between 3 and 10 days, with the piñas soaking up the flavors of the earth and smoke.

Cross-section illustration of a pre-Hispanic oven, showing earth, palm fronds or mats covering agave piñas, stones, firewood, and a cross at the top.
Victor Ramos wearing a wide-brimmed hat and checkered shirt shoveling chopped wood into a circular wood storage area outside. In the background, there are trees, a shed, and mountains under a partly cloudy sky.

3. mash

A mezcalero wearing a white cowboy hat, light blue shirt, and white undershirt, leaning on a large tree log inside a rustic structure, with a person holding a water bottle on the left side of the image.
A long, narrow, stone-lined fire pit filled with dry wood shavings and leaves, located on a dirt ground.

After the piñas are unearthed, they’re left to sit and cool for a day or longer depending on the maestro’s preferences. The machetes (the duct tape of rural Mexico) come back out, and the mezcaleros will chop the roasted piñas into smaller pieces that are then mashed using a tahona (giant stone wheel drawn by animals); or by a team of mezcaleros pounding the pieces with giant bats in a canoa (hollowed out tree trunk) or cement trough, or by a wood chipper.

Stacked agave piñas against a brick wall, with a wooden and metal stick in the foreground.
Pile of chopped firewood in a rustic outdoor area with a large log splitter and bamboo fencing in the background.
A pile of dried banana leaves under a structure supported by wooden poles and a metal pipe, with a dirt ground and open outdoor space in the background.
A rural scene at the Ramos Palenque with a tahoma in the foreground, dirt ground, trees with sparse leaves, haystacks, and two animals, possibly cows or buffalo, grazing in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

4. ferment

The mashed agave is placed in tinas (open fermentation tanks) and topped with water. Unlike nearly all modern spirits, traditional mezcal is fermented by wild yeast, which can vary from one side of the road to the other, and between seasons – one more way that every batch is unique.

Depending on the type of agave, the climate, and the maestro’s preferences, fermentation can range from a few days up to a full month.

5. distill

Illustration demonstrating the process of making clay pot mezcal with labeled steps including heated alcohol vapors rising, recondensed mezcal drips onto a wooden spoon feeding a bamboo tube, fermented mash, and collection of finished mezcal, set in a traditional Mexican firepit with surrounding bottles labeled 'Mal Bien' and a red animal fur or skin at the bottom.

With a few exceptions, nearly all traditional mezcales are distilled twice, using only the mezcalero’s senses and experience to regulate the heat of the fire, to separate the puntas, corazones y colas (heads, hearts, and tails), and recombine them for the ideal balance of aromatics, flavor, and ABV.

When it comes to traditional mezcal, there are three basic types of stills used:

A rustic outdoor wood-burning stove made of stacked stones and cinder blocks with a metal pipe chimney. Flames are visible through a circular opening at the front. The area around the stove is dirt and concrete, with some small wood pieces and debris on the ground.

Alambiques (alembic stills) are familiar to anyone with a basic knowledge of distillation. A fire heats a large metal pot containing ferment. As alcohol boils off, the vapors go up and across a lyne arm before condensing in water cooled coils. The vast majority of mezcales available in the US are made in alambiques.

Two clay pots on a brick stove burning firewood with flames visible underneath.

Ollas de barro (clay pots) work similarly to alambiques. A large clay pot filled with ferment, is heated from a wood fire below. The alcohol vapors then rise into a second clay chamber, stacked above it before hitting a water-cooled condensing plate and dripping onto a funnel that drains out of the side.

A large wooden mortar used for traditional processing, with a wooden pestle and a branch hanging above it, set against a mountainous background.

Filipino stills are the most rugged and basic, the kind you would build on a deserted island. The ferment is heated in a metal pot, topped with a wooden chamber similar to a barrel, or even a hollowed-out tree trunk, and capped with a metal or clay condensing plate.

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