Is destilado de agave lower quality than mezcal?

No. It is a legal labelling distinction, not a quality one. Many highly rated ancestral distillates are sold as destilado de agave.

Which states produce it?

Commonly Michoacán, Jalisco, Puebla, Sonora, Estado de México and other regions outside or only partly inside the mezcal denomination.

← Agave spiritsOutside the denomination, inside the tradition

Destilado de Agave

Destilado de agave covers traditional agave spirits made outside the mezcal denomination of origin — same craft, different label.

The mezcal denomination of origin only covers certain states. A palenquero in Michoacán, Puebla, Jalisco or Sonora may work exactly as an Oaxacan maestro does and still be barred from printing the word mezcal.

Those bottles reach the shelf as destilado de agave or agave spirit. The category is therefore not a quality tier — it holds some of the most sought-after ancestral distillates in Mexico alongside plenty of ordinary ones.

Read the back label: agave species, village, maestro and still type tell you far more than the category name does.

Destilado de Agave bottles in the catalogue

3.0

Gusto Historico Rayo – Ignacio Juárez

Mezcal · Oaxaca

Destilado de Agave

Destilado de Agave bottles in the catalogue

Gusto Historico Rayo – Ignacio Juárez

Comunidad No. 2 – El Lazo

Tlamati Espadilla

Puntiagudo Tepextate – Onofre Ortiz

Rezpiral Coyote – Aureliano Hernandez Martinez

Agua del Sol Bicuishe – Macario Rios

Chacolo Azul

El Destilado Espadilla

Gusto Historico Tepextate Puntas – Emanuel Ramos

Chacolo Ixtero Verde

Comunidad No. 4 – Amatengo

Campanilla del Palmar Chino – Jaime Navarro

Tepanal Mexicano, Tobala, Barril, Tobasiche

Quiote Mezcaleria Tercer Aniversario

Lalocura Espadín con Quiote (Capón)

Puntiagudo Tobala – Onofre Ortiz

Mal Bien Papalote – Gutiérrez

Maguey Melate Ensamble 4 – Luis Velasco

Luneta Verde / Chino – Navarro

Maguey Melate Mapisaga – Cesar Mateo

Gusto Historico Cuixe con Espadin de Milpa – Santos

Macheé Cuishe

Gusto Historico Espadin Penca Corta – Saturnino

Lamata De Castilla Nuevo León

Cumbrita Lechuguilla / Chawi – Dolores Gonzales Torres

Cuentacuentos Papalote – Sonido

Cinco Sentidos Papalote – Sonido

Palomas Mensajeras Chino

Mal Bien Madrecuixe Puntas – Cortes

NETA Pulquero – Primitivo Vásquez

Ixcateco Papalome

Gusto Historico Mexicano – Ignacio Juárez

Real Minero Barril, Espadin, Coyota, Tobala, Becuela

Rezpiral Tepextate – Simeon Ramirez

Luneta Barreno – Ageo Cortes

Maguey Melate Coyote – Noé García Olivera

Rezpiral Tepextate / Tobaziche – Berta Vasquez

Tlamati Deer Pechuga

Real Minero Tequiliana

Mal Bien Borrego – Sonido

Rayo Seco Cachetón

Rayo Seco Cenizo – Gilberto Roldan

Rambha Espadin – Tepeztate

Maguey Melate Arroqueño – Semei Garcia Ramos

Rayo Seco Cenizo – Victor Hugo Terrones

Pasión Ancestral Becuela

Mama Chuy Bicuishe – Casimiro Perez

Maguey Melate Papalometl – David Rivera Herrera

Rezpiral Cuishe – Berta Vasquez

Mal Bien Alto

Rancho Tepua Lechuguilla

Gusto Historico Jabali – Vazquez

Aguerrido Cupreata – Don Tomás

Rayo Seco Sacatoro

NETA Barril + Mexicanito – Hermógenes Vasquez

Mezcalosfera Tobala – Don Ageo

NETA Madrecuixe Capón – Hermógenes Vasquez

Maguey Melate Mexicano – Semei Garcia Ramos

Caballito Cerrero “Unicorn” Chato

Real Minero Becuela

Frequently asked

Other agave spirits