Many people ask us what is the difference between Tequila, Mezcal and Raicilla, so to start we would say what are the similarities:
- They are all Agave spirits from México
- The main process is basically harvest, cooking, mashing or milling, fermentation and distillation of Agave.
So that being said, the main differences are:
- Tequila can be only from Blue Agave Tequilana Weber made in Jalisco, Michoacán, Tamaulipas, Nayarit y Guanajuato.
- Mezcal can be up to 40+ varieties and from 9 States ( Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas y Zacatecas)
- Raicilla can be only from 5 types of Agaves: Maximiliana, Inaequidens, Rhodacanta, Valenciana, Angustifolia, and only in 16 town in Jalisco: Atengo, Chiquilistlán, Juchitlán, Tecolotlán, Tenamaxtlán, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo Corrientes, Tomatlán, Atenguillo, Ayutla, Cuautla, Guachinango, Mascota, Mixtlán, San Sebastián del Oeste y Talpa de Allende. and 1 in Nayarit: Bahía de Banderas.
- Also Raicilla La Reina ® has a really smooth, sweet taste because of the cooking method and the type of agave (Maximiliana) we use. In this case, the clay oven gives its distinctive good flavor.
- In this picture, you will see Master Raicillero Don Julio Topete Becerra warming up the clay oven. (John Pint, 2019)