Mezcal vs Tequila — the real differences
Both come from agave. Both are Mexican. Beyond that, almost everything diverges. Here's what changes between them and why it matters for what's in your glass.
Agave
Tequila must be made from blue Weber agave only. Mezcal can be made from any of ~50 agave species — espadín, tobalá, tepeztate, madrecuixe, and others. That single rule is the largest source of mezcal's flavor diversity.
Cooking
Tequila producers steam-cook the piñas in industrial autoclaves over a few hours. Mezcal producers roast the piñas in earthen pits, covered with stones, wood embers, and earth — for 3-7 days. That fire-roasting is where mezcal gets its smoke. Tequila has none.
Region
Tequila must come from one of five Mexican states (mostly Jalisco). Mezcal can come from nine, but Oaxaca is the cultural and production center. The two regions overlap geographically but the producers, traditions, and infrastructure are quite different.
Scale
Tequila is industrial — there are about 150 distilleries producing for hundreds of brands. Mezcal is largely artisanal — thousands of small producers, often family operations, making 1000-5000 liters per year.
Price floor
A great mezcal starts around $40-50. A great tequila starts around the same. But the lower bound differs: cheap tequila is widely available; cheap mezcal often isn't worth drinking. Mezcal's production is harder to scale, so the bargain end is thinner.
Try them side by side
The clearest way to learn the difference is to taste a 100% agave blanco tequila (highlands ideal — say a Tapatío or a Siete Leguas) next to an espadín mezcal (Del Maguey Vida, Mezcal Vago Elote, or any small-batch espadín). The agave family will be obvious. So will the gulf between them.