10 best mezcals that smoke the competition

Think beyond tequila and taste Mexico’s other agave spirit

Mezcal is making smoky waves across the United States. With explosive growth in popularity and sales, this traditional Mexican spirit is catching up to tequila and vodka, the country’s top-selling spirits. But what is mezcal exactly? Most people confuse it with tequila because they’re both made from the agave plant in Mexico. However, mezcal and tequila differ due to where the plants are grown and harvested and where and how the spirits are produced.

Here’s everything you need to know about this captivating spirit, including the 10 best mezcals to try for sipping or stirring into cocktails.

What is mezcal?

There’s a lot to know and love about mezcal. Most importantly, it’s not tequila. Both start with the agave plant, but tequila must originate from the blue agave grown in Jalisco, while mezcal can be made from various agave species grown in nine different Mexican states.

Mezcal is one of the most traditional spirits in Mexico, produced for over 400 years (at least). Different styles depend on the type of agave plant used to make the spirit, including the popular espadin and tobala, plus mexicano, arroqueño, verde, barril, cuishe, and more.

When looking at a label, you’ll see different classifications — joven, reposado, or añejo. Like tequila, these classifications indicate how long (or if) the distilled spirit rested in oak barrels. For instance, joven has no oak, reposado spends two to 11 months in the barrel, and añejo a year or more.

The aging process adds flavor, color, and even texture to mezcal. It has a distinctive smoky taste and aroma; some taste almost sweet, and others a little spicy, depending on how it’s made. Artesanal mezcal has more smoke because the agave piñas are fired in outdoor pits, while ancestral mezcal is often more earthy because they’re cooked in underground ovens.

You can sip mezcal neat or add its smoky flavor to a classic cocktail, like a margarita, an old-fashioned, or a Negroni.

How to choose a good mezcal

The best way to find your favorite mezcal is to sample, sample, sample. Talk to bartenders about their favorite brands. With the rise of mezcal’s popularity, many cities now boast mescalerias, bars specializing in all things mezcal. Search those out (or find Mexican restaurants with a selection of different mezcals on their bar shelves) and taste a few next to each other. You can detect subtle differences between brands, styles, and where it was produced.

Best mezcal brands

When you’re ready to add a bottle or two to your home bar cart, we’ve narrowed down 10 of the best mezcal brands imported into the U.S., as determined by professional judges at competitions, including the International Wine and Spirits Competition, the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, the Bartender Spirit Awards, and other prestigious competitions. These mezcals offer a wide range in retail price and alcohol by volume (ABV), as well as production technique and agave type. Cheers!

Dos Hombres Mezcal Joven Artesanal

The popular Dos Hombres Mezcal Artesenal comes from “Breaking Bad” acting duo Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul. Espadin agave sourced in Oaxaca is the base of this award-winning joven-style mezcal. The clear (no barrel-aging) spirit tastes smooth with hints of mango, apple, and smoky flavors.

Del Maguey Vida Clasico Single Village Mezcal

One of the top-rated mezcals on the planet, Del Maguey’s mezcaleros have been distilling the spirit in Oaxaca and other Mexican states since 1995 and winning top awards ever since. A 2024 Bartender Spirits Awards Double Gold winner is the Del Maguey Vida Clasico Single Village Mezcal (a joven espadin), perfectly designed for those beginning their mezcal education. Smooth, with tangerine, ginger, and cinnamon flavors, it works for sipping neat or cocktails.

Other recent standout award winners from this venerable producer include the Del Maguey Chichicapa Single Village Mezcal and the Del Maguey Vida Pueblo Single Village Mezcal from the state of Pueblo.

Ilegal 7-Year Añejo Mezcal

Ilegal Mezcal was illegal when John Rexer began smuggling unbranded mezcal from Oaxaca to his bar in Guatemala in 2004. Today, he legally produces the mezcal and is winning awards. Ilegal offers joven, reposado, and añejo mezcals made in Oaxaca and distributed globally.

Ilegal 7-Year Añejo is the jewel of the brand, kept in oak casks for seven years, resulting in a caramel-colored liquid filled with tastes of toffee and cloves. Wine Enthusiast magazine named it one of the Top 100 Spirits of 2023; sip it neat, and you’ll probably agree.

Zomoz Espadin Joven Mezcal

Zomoz Mezcal makes only one mezcal, crated by fourth-generation mezcalera Isabel Santiago. She’s making waves in the mezcal world, winning Double Gold at San Francisco World Spirits in 2024. Her espadin joven mezcal is a heady creation that brings honey and butterscotch on the nose and smoky vanilla, stone fruit, and pepper to the palate. Sip this 100% organic spirit neat or mix in a mezcal margarita, bloody mary, or cocktail of choice.

Desolas Mezcal Blanco

Awards are piling up for Desolas Mezcal Blanco, made from the rare agave salmiana, which takes nearly 25 years to mature before roasting. The female-owned brand makes one mezcal, another Double Gold winner at the San Francisco World Spirits in 2024, Best of Class Mezcal at the New York World Spirits Competition, and Mezcal of the Year 2023 at the Bartender Spirit Awards.

All those accolades come to the spirit made in above-ground ovens, which reduces the smoky characteristics of the mezcal. So expect a more grassy, botanically rich flavor in this mezcal originating from the state of San Luis Potosi.

Mezcal Vago Mezcal

Producing four award-winning, distinctly unique mezcals, Mezcal Vago is clearly doing something right. Its four mezcals are made in different parts of Oaxaca, distilled and crafted by four mescaleros with very different styles, and all four took Double Gold at the 2024 San Francisco Competition.

The joven mezcals include Mezcal Vago Espadin by Joel Barriga. Its notes are of honey, bananas, and lime. From the valley, there’s Mezcal Vago Espadin by Emigdio Jarquin. It features mineral tastes blended with mint and honey. Mezcal Vago Elote combines corn with agave for a unique combination of the two flavors. And finally, Mezcal Vago Ensamble en Barro blends espadin and Mexicano agaves, resulting in a tropical, stone-fruit taste.

Tres Tribus Ensamble Mezcal

Tres Tribus Mezcal is making its mark by winning International Wine and Spirits Competition’s Agave Producer of the Year and the top prize, Spirits Producer of the Year. The Ensamble mezcal, a blend made from wild-foraged agave from the mountains of Oaxaca, is a smooth spirit with hints of mango, citrus, and other flavors.

Ojo de Dios Mezcal Artesanal Joven Espadin

Ojo de Dios Mezcal features fully mature espadin agave, which means the plant grows for eight years before being harvested to make this joven mezcal. The result is a sipping mezcal bursting with plum, pineapple, spice, and smoke flavors. That’s why the Ojo de Dios Mezcal Artesanal Joven Espadin won a Gold Medal at the 2024 New Orleans Spirits Competition.

Lobos 1707 Mezcal Artesanal

Lobos 1707 Mezcal Artesanal sets itself apart from other mezcals by using Spanish PX Sherry oak casks to age the spirit. It lends a unique flavor profile of sage, spice, smoke, and pepper, winning it a Platinum Award from the Beverage Tasting Institute. It’s the first mezcal from Lobos 1707, known for its fine tequilas.

Mezcal Amarás Logia Lumbre Special Reserve

For the ultimate mezcal experience, look toward Mezcal Amarás, the Oaxaca-based company that offers a wide range of mezcal types. One standout is Mezcal Amarás Logia Lumbre Special Reserve, made from 10- to 12-year-old lumbre agave plants distilled by the ancestral method. Winner of Double Gold at the San Francisco 2024 competition, only 399 bottles of this mezcal are produced. It is a big-ticket bottle with a fiery taste, giving hints of currant, mushroom, and smoke.

A little more accessible is the Mezcal Amarás Espadin Joven, a smooth sip with a touch of bergamot and blossom on the nose, or Mezcal Amarás Cupreata Joven with bright, vegetal flavors and a hint of bell pepper and spice.

About Jenny Peters

Jenny Peters – aka Jet Set Jen – is a Los Angeles-based freelance journalist, editor and party columnist specializing in travel, entertainment, film, food, wine, fashion and the other good things in life. She is a founding/voting member of the Critics Choice Association, who present the Critics’ Choice Awards every January. Her favorite places to be are on the beach in Southern California playing volleyball, scuba diving with the sharks in warm tropical waters or strolling the streets and soaking in the atmosphere of one of the world’s great cities (New Orleans and Florence are her favorites).