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This article is a guest contribution from Industry Expert Alejandro Aispuro. Alejandro is an award winning spirit maker with over 10 years of experience in natural fermentations, recipe development, blending, and sensory analysis of mezcal, whisky and other distilled spirits. He has been recognized as a whisky-maker and master blender, but his story began with mezcal and agave spirits, in which he continues to be involved and contribute.
For those who have witnessed or even participated in the production of mezcal, the process is nothing short of an immersive, sensory (and even magical) experience. Picture feeling the heat of the underground oven radiating through the soles of your feet as you work, loading the meticulously harvested, and roughly chopped, agave piñas into their earthy resting place. Steam rises, curling and twisting through the air, as the agave and earth warm together. Over days, the aroma of smouldering wood, warm earth, and caramelising sugars saturates the environment, weaving itself into the fibres of your clothing and hair. And when the oven is finally unsealed, the agave emerges transformed—sticky with the residue of its own cooked sugars, some wasted, dripping away as the piñas are retrieved.
This is a process revered for its authenticity, celebrated as a hallmark of mezcal’s artisanal roots. Yet, behind the sensory allure lies a complex interplay of scientific phenomena—and significant challenges as the industry evolves and new players enter the market.
The Science Behind the Transformation
At the heart of the mezcal production process is the thermal transformation of the agave’s carbohydrates. Agave stores energy primarily in the form of inulin, a polysaccharide that is insoluble and non-fermentable in its raw state. Cooking the agave initiates the process of hydrolysis, breaking the inulin down into fermentable sugars such as fructose and glucose. This critical step is driven by the application of heat and moisture, setting the stage for fermentation. To picture this process easily, imagine unraveling a tightly wound ball of string: hydrolysis acts as the scissors, breaking the inulin into individual threads of fermentable sugars. The earthen pits and steam ovens are both scissors in this analogy, the former can provide a rough and uneven cut while the latter can make more plentiful and precise cuts.
The heat also induces Maillard reactions, a chemical process where sugars and amino acids interact to form a complex array of compounds. These include furans and pyrans, which contribute to the smoky, caramel-like aromas and flavors unique to mezcal. Additionally, the burning of wood in traditional pit ovens releases phenolic compounds that are absorbed by the agave, embedding the distinct smoky profile often associated with the final product. (My usual caveat here: different ways of cooking the agave provide different aromas, and it is wrong to define all mezcal as smoky.)
Traditional cooking methods, particularly those involving underground pit ovens, are a testament to mezcal’s rustic charm. However, they are also highly inefficient. As the sugars caramelise and break down, some are irretrievably lost, dripping away as waste during the cooking process. This loss not only diminishes the yield but also poses questions about sustainability and resource efficiency in an industry heavily reliant on natural inputs (Vera-Guzmán et al., 2017; Mancilla-Margalli & López, 2002; Vera-Guzmán et al., 2018).
Tradition vs. Efficiency: The Dilemma of Sugar Loss
The inefficiencies of traditional mezcal production have long been accepted, even romanticised, as part of its artisanal character. Sticky residues left on stones and equipment, lost sugars, and the labour-intensive methods are viewed by many as integral to the authenticity of mezcal. “This is just how it’s done,” producers and enthusiasts often say, celebrating these inefficiencies as elements of the craft which somehow make it authentic or “artisanal.” And it is hard to challenge these points of view, especially when they are justified by decades of tradition and handed-down practices from generation to generation, forming an intrinsic part of each producer’s identity, as Semei Garcia Ramos, producer of La Pila, expresses in a chat with Maguey Exchange: “Each one, each palenque, each family preserves its traditional mezcal, consider each family has its way of working and we all preserve it as we have been working.”
Yet, the challenges of this approach cannot be ignored. Sugar losses during cooking mean lower alcohol yields during fermentation and distillation. These losses are significant, with studies showing that a substantial portion of the sugars in the raw agave is wasted during this stage (Vera-Guzmán et al., 2017; Mancilla-Margalli & López, 2002; Vera-Guzmán et al., 2018). For rural producers operating on slim margins, this inefficiency translates to a direct economic burden.
While tradition remains a powerful influence, economic pressures and global competition are forcing producers to re-evaluate their methods. Countries like India, South Africa, Peru, and France are producing agave-based spirits, leveraging modern techniques to maximise efficiency without the constraints of traditional practices. These new players are free from the cultural expectations that bind many mezcal producers, giving them an upper-hand and distinct advantage in terms of production scalability, optimized processes, and cost-effectiveness, and the list of producers and countries is rapidly expanding.
Moving the Process Forward: Balancing Heritage and Progress
As the mezcal industry grapples with these challenges, a critical question emerges: How do we honour the craft’s rich traditions while embracing innovation to ensure its sustainability? The answer lies not in abandoning artisanal methods but in adapting them. However, research into the cooking process and other production stages that could help producers address inefficiencies while preserving the spirit’s artisanal identity often remains largely inaccessible to those in rural areas who are often the custodians of the spirit’s most cherished techniques (Vera-Guzmán et al., 2017; Mancilla-Margalli & López, 2002; Vera-Guzmán et al., 2018).
Additionally, let us consider that from the producers’ point of view, one of the most pressing challenges today is not only the difficulty of production itself but the harsh reality of exploitation by new actors and brands in the industry who prioritise profit over the people who sustain mezcal’s traditions. Jessica Hernandez, in conversation with Maguey Exchange says:
“I believe traditional mezcal is in risk of extinction because of this ‘new ways of making mezcal’ most people are just looking into getting rich, this thinking of ‘it costs this much to purchase a mezcal bottle, I’m going to get a huge amount from this mezcalero and get a huge profit, but I won’t pay full price to the mezcalero.’ People forget all the work that goes behind it, all the work that’s been put out in the production; the physical effort, the dedication, the love mostly, that characterizes a good mezcal.”
While this is a vital issue that demands further discussion, it could also present an opportunity for the role of knowledge-sharing in creating positive change. By equipping mezcaleros with accessible practices for more efficient and sustainable production—including during cooking—the burdens of labour and resource use can be lightened, while also improving the economic returns of their craft. Addressing exploitative practices will remain essential, but enabling producers to adopt methods that safeguard both their livelihoods and the environment represents a step towards fairer margins and a more resilient mezcal industry.
Efforts must focus on making scientific knowledge and practical solutions available to these communities. Collaborative programs between researchers and producers, supported by government and industry stakeholders, could bridge this gap. Additionally, the development of affordable and scalable technologies tailored to the needs of small-scale producers could pave the way for a more efficient and sustainable future.
Ultimately, the goal is to preserve mezcal’s authenticity while optimising its production for the benefit of both producers and the environment. By striking this balance, the industry can ensure that the experience of mezcal—from the heat of the oven to the sticky residues of cooked sugars—remains a source of pride and identity, rather than a symbol of inefficiency. Easier said than done, of course, as finding that balance will be tricky and doubtlessly met by resistance from many actors (as with all things mezcal), but sharing knowledge is what mezcal is fundamentally based upon. Sharing knowledge allows authenticity to endure.
Share knowledge, preserve tradition, build sustainability.
References
Mancilla-Margalli, N., & López, M. G. (2002). Generation of Maillard compounds from inulin during the thermal processing of Agave tequilana Weber var. Azul. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 50(4), 806–812. https://doi.org/10.1021/jf0110295
Vera-Guzmán, A. M., Guzmán-Gerónimo, R. I., López, M. G., & Chávez-Servia, J. L. (2018). Volatile compound profiles in mezcal spirits as influenced by agave species and production processes. Beverages, 4(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/beverages4010009
Vera-Guzmán, A. M., López, M. G., & Chávez-Servia, J. L. (2017). Chemical composition and volatile compounds in the artisanal fermentation of mezcal in Oaxaca, Mexico. African Journal of Biotechnology, 11(56), 14344–14353. https://doi.org/10.5897/AJB11.963
