Negosentro | What Makes Mezcal Different Than Tequila | Mezcal and Tequila are two terms that are often used interchangeably. However, the truth is that both of them are quite different from each other even if they do sound the same.
But, what exactly is the difference between them? Well, if you’re curious to know let’s read on to find out everything about Mezcal vs Tequila!
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Type
Are you confused? Let us explain to you more clearly! Mezcal is basically a type of distilled drink that is extracted from different types of Agave plants.
On the other hand, when it comes to Tequila, it is actually a kind of Mezcal. So, just put two and two together and keep in mind that all Tequilas are Mezcals but all Mezcals are not Tequilas!
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Type of Agave Used
Mezcal is basically a drink that is made with the help of the agave plant.
So, as mentioned in the above point, Mezcal can be made up of different types of agave. In all, there are about 30 different types of agave that are used to make Mezcal.
Some of the most commonly used ones include tobalá, tepeztate, tobaziche, arroqueño and espadín. Due to this reason, there’s no specific agave used in the formation of a Mezcal drink.
On the other hand, talking about Tequila, this drink is usually made up of blue agave. Hence, as you can see, the difference lies in the type of agave used too!
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Geographical Differences
Every beverage can be produced in a specific region only. For instance, Mezcal is mostly native to Mexico. Still, there are differences when it comes to the exact region where Mezcal and Tequila are produced.
Keep in mind that Mezcal is most commonly produced in places like:
- Durango
- Guanajuato
- Guerrero
- San Luis Potosi
- Tamaulipas
- Zacatecas
- Michoacán
- Puebla
- Oaxaca
On the other hand, Tequila is most commonly produced in regions like:
- Michoacán
- Guanajuato
- Nayarit
- Tamaulipas
- Jalisco
Hence, location-wise too, both Tequila and Mezcal are produced differently.
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Different Process of Distillation
One of the major differences between Mezcal and Tequila is their distillation process. So, what’s the difference between them?
In Mezcal, the agave plant is cooked mainly inside the various earthen pits. These pits are further lined by lava rocks. In this way, the distillation process works when it comes to Mezcal.
On the other hand, in the case of Tequila, you’ll find that the agave plant is simply put inside the industrial ovens for steaming. Then, it is distilled two to three times to get the final product.
So, as you can see, there’s nothing common between Tequila and Mezcal. Both of them use different types of agave plants and even their distillation process is different entirely.
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Different Aging Categories
Lastly, there lies in the difference in the aging categories too. Here’s why:
Once Tequila and Mezcal are distilled, they both are made to be aged inside oak barrels. Then, depending on the aging time, they are labeled accordingly.
For instance, Tequila can be divided into three categories. You have Blanco (aged for 0 to 2 months), Reposado (aged for 2 to 11 months), and Anejo (aged for 1 to 3 years).
On the other hand, you have Mezcal that is also divided into the three categories like Joven (aged for 0 to 2 months), Reposado ( aged for 2 to 11 months), and Anejo (aged for at least one year).
Hence, here too, you can see the difference.
Final Thoughts
To conclude, Mezcal is different from Tequila in many aspects as we mentioned above. For instance, the agave used is different, the distillation process is different, and even the geographical location is different!
Hence, even if people confuse both of these terms, you can easily see the stark difference between them.
