All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila.

Mezcal can be simply defined as any agave-based spirit, or alcohol distilled from the fermentation of the agave plant.  Mezcal can be made from a wide variety of agave plants, espadin agave being the most common. Tequila on the other hand can only be made with 100% Blue weber agave.   

Mezcal and tequila use different processes to “cook” the core of the plant, known as the piña. Tequila makers use brick ovens to steam and caramelize the piña. In mezcal making, an earthen pit oven (horno) use typically used to smoke and roast the agave cores from 3 to 5 days. It is this key differentiator that give mezcal its signature smoky taste.

Most mezcal is produced in nine different states in Mexico at various scales: Oaxaca (most common), Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, Puebla, San Luís Potosí, Tamaulipas, and Zacatecas.