Mezcal is regulated by the CRM (Regulatory Council of Mezcal) by imposing rules and requirements for producing and labelling Mezcal to protect its denomination of origin and classifications.

NOM stands for "Norma Official Mexicana", NOM-070 is the official law that governs the application of Mezcals’ Denomination of Origin – the rules and regulations of Mezcal production, certification, classification, regions and labelling. The original NOM-070 was passed in November 1994 before being amended in 2016 and passed again in 2018.

 

 "This Official Mexican Standard establishes the characteristics and specifications that must be met by the distilled alcoholic beverage called Mezcal for its production, packaging and commercialization." - STANDARD NOM-070-SCFI-2016 Alcoholic-Mezcal-Specifications Objective.

 

The purpose behind classifying Mezcal is to protect the traditions of the spirit and the time invested in producing it through each different process. Why should an industrially produced Mezcal be considered the same as an Artisanal or Ancestral Mezcal that took way more time an resources to be produced?

At Agaveria we exclusively stock Artisinal and Ancestral Mezcal. Our recommendation is to stay away from any industrial Mezcal you come across. 

 

Mezcal

COOKING | Pit ovens, elevated stone ovens, autoclave or diffuser.

GRINDING | Egyptian or Chilean Mill, Tahona,Trapiche or a series of mills.

FERMENTATION | Wooden vats, stone wells or stainless steel tanks.

DISTILLATION | Continuous stills or column stills made from copper or stainless steel.

 

Mezcal Artesenal

COOKING | Pit oven or Elevated stone oven.

GRINDING | Egyptian or Chilean mill, Mallets, Tahona, Trapiche or shredder.

FERMENTATION | Cavities in stone, earth, trunk or stone, wood, clay or animal hide. This process may include the fibre of Maguey (Agave)

DISTILLATION | Direct fire on copper stills or clay pots and coils made of clay, wood, copper, or stainless steel. This process may include the fibre of Maguey.

 

Mezcal Ancestral

COOKING | Pit oven

GRINDING | Egyptian or Chilean mill, Mallets or Tahona.

FERMENTATION | Cavities in stone, earth, trunk or stone, wood, clay or animal hide. This process may include the fibre of Maguey.

DISTILLATION | Direct fire on clay pots and coils made of clay, wood, copper, or stainless steel. This process includes the fibre of Maguey.

 

Most Mezcales available within Australia classify as Artisinal. Although The process that Ancestral Mezcal produces some of the most complex Mezcales, its demands are laborious and not the most efficient. Because this method utilises mostly raw materials (such as clay), loss of liquid during fermentation and distillation are not uncommon due to breakage and cracks.

 

Where can I get Ancestral Mezcal?

 

At Agaveria we stock the Tio Pesca range, truly Ancestral Mezcales produced from 100% wild Agave varietals. If you're looking for something extra special then you cannot go past this range.  Alternatively, if you're a Mezcal fanatic and looking to go deeper into exploring the category, this range of Mezcales will definitely bring something new to an experienced palette.

 

Click below to view the range