For all its romance, Mezcal is sadly subjected to the same slings and arrows that any product endures once it outgrows its local roots, and starts circumnavigating the globe. Not sure if you’ve noticed this, but corporations tend to like moneyyyy. So if a company can make more profit by cutting out non-scalable artisanal methods, they’re typically willing to make such short cuts in the name of the almighty dollar, or peso as the case may be. Things like environment impacts, employee health-effects, fair-treatment to suppliers, etc. can all get de-prioritized if it means a few more coins in the coffers.
In the world of mezcal, this can manifest in ways that dilute (sometimes literally) the product so much, that it undoes much of the ancestral process that arguably makes mezcal mezcal. Things like using a pressurized oven instead of an earth oven pit, substituting artificial flavor additives in an attempt to compensate for the natural smoky flavor lost, adding fermentation chemicals to cut down on lead time, diluting bottles to the 30% ABV minimum, pressuring small producers into unfavorable long-term contracts, and desecrating the local ecosystem to save on costs, etc. etc. The atrocities can quickly compound.
With these fiscal priorities at odds with this ancient art form, Mezcal as we know is at risk of eroding around the edges, compromise by compromise, as was the case with a lot of tequila decades before.
That brings us to the theme for this month’s Mission Mezcal Club shipment. We wanted to feature four producers who are endeavoring to keep mezcal miraculously unique and artisanal.
That’s part of our aim with this club as well. We believe if mezcal can be understood and appreciated at its full potential, people will show their preference for quality artisanal mezcal that is sustainably and fairly sourced. Then we can hopefully reverse this erosion, as big businesses will be forced to supply offer truly artisanal mezcal that meets the demands of the consumers and the traditions behind mezcal will be preserved. With clubs like these, we hope to raise consumer consciousness, and we, the informed and grateful recipients of such wondrous elixir will be empowered to ensure the future of mezcal for generations to come.