Also referred to as rested, reposado Tequila is aged from two months to just shy of a year. Which imparts a slight colour and softens the harshness of the tequila. I like to think of myself as the unpaid and unofficial global ambassador for all things tequila and agave even though I’m British through and through. An even simpler way to think of it is that Mezcal is like whisky. Whisky is an umbrella term that covers a whole range of styles, Bourbon is not the same as Scotch but it still falls under the term whisky. In that likening, whisky is mezcal and bourbon is Tequila.

When you think of Mezcal what probably appears in your mind is a bottle with a red worm inside and you think about a challenge of «drinking a strong liquor with an insect». What you drank was most likely Mezcal with doubtful quality and it affects the reputation of authentic mezcal. Another mention about the worm is in Sara Bowen’s research « Divided Spirits: Tequila, Mezcal and The politics of production«. She points out the Mezcal brand Gusano Rojo (Red worm) who initiated the adding of worms to Mezcal, when in 1950 a employee got the idea to drop a worm into each bottle as a «distinctive touch». To begin with, the Mezcal worms are caterpillars and they are a plague of the agave. They may be white ( Meocuilines) or red ( Chinicuilies), and both are an ancient food and taste good. Usually, Meocuilines are cooked in exotic dishes and Chinicuiles are added to Mezcal or mixed with salt (called Sal de Gusano). Origin of Mezcal with worm. In the same way, Tom Bullok explains in his book “The Mezcal experience” that Monte Alban Mezcal followed Gusano Rojo with its worm practice and maintained a prolonged advertising campaign in Playboy issues during the 1970s. It cemented the idea in the male western mind that Mezcal with a worm was in fact, the real Mezcal. Answers as to why the worm is in the bottle in the first place is actually unknown, but there are stories. Some will say that the worm in the mezcal bottle is a marketing ploy. After all, think of all those myths we just had to bust to get to this point. Hallucinogen, flavor enhancer, boozy addition…the worm is none of that. But when the worm is in the bottle on a shelf, it somehow convinces people to buy that brand.

Origins to why it’s there in the first place are pretty murky but there are two stories that make sense. The first of which is simply a marketing ploy. Which to be fair, works wonders. When staring unknowingly at a shelf of mezcal it can be difficult to choose one. When there's a drowned worm in the bottom of the bottle that stands out, promotes curiosity and hence makes you want to buy it. You may of already heard that tequila has to be made in Mexico and is made from the fermenting of agave and distilling of that liquid. But that’s not completely accurate, because there's a bunch of Mexican spirits that follow that same guideline. The reason people go wrong with this is by mixing tequila with sugary drinks or drinking mixto tequila which is not 100% agave. Basically if you only have enough agave to create 100 bottles of tequila, why not half that and top it up with cheap sugar to double your yield.

I’m not quite sure where this myth that the tequila worm is hallucinogenic comes from but rest assured that it is not true. You can eat as many tequila worms as you like, you will ever hallucinate. Tequila can either be made in small batches or mass-produced, whereas mezcal is made on a much smaller scale with a traditional process. Verde Momento is a Mezcal made with 8-year-old organic espadin agave from the Oaxaca state in Mexico.

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Tequila is made with rigid standards. For starters, tequila can only be produced from blue agave, while mezcal can be made from 28 varieties of agave. During that time I had a lot of recurring questions on the infamous worm. Is it alive? Why is it there? Does it taste of anything? Etc . And so I’ve answered those questions as well as a few more popular concerns below. Without further ado, here are all your questions about that little worm inside the bottle of tequila answered. Table of Contents

Tequila and mezcal both originate from Mexico and are made from agave, a form of succulent that grows in the Mexican desert. Both are widely popular throughout the world, but they aren’t the same thing. In Mezcal production, ABV is determined by pouring a stream of the mezcal into a small vessel to induce surface bubbles. These bubbles, known as pearls by the Mezcal producers, will remain stable for tenths of seconds only if the alcohol content is close to 50% Everyone old enough to drink has a Tequila story. Whether its good or bad, about yourself or someone else, Tequila is without a doubt a memory making spirit. That is the basic process of making tequila complete, however, there is a final optional step involved, Tequila can be aged in oak casks to impart some richer, woody flavours and colour which is where different styles of tequila come into play. Blanco Tequila:Although on the surface they seem very similar, they are quite different. For one Mezcal can be made with a variety of 25 different agave species, while Tequila has to be made with a certain species of agave. Which technically means - All Tequila is Mezcal but not all Mezcal is Tequila. Just like how all Jacuzzis are hot tubs but not all hot tubs are Jacazzis… You may be more familiar with its counterpart Tequila. Which is where the confusion usually comes in around the subject. Is Mezcal and Tequila the same thing? No, no its not. But since mezcal worms have only appeared in commercially sold bottles since the 1940s and 50s, as mentioned earlier, the second argument isn’t entirely convincing. There are always exceptions to the rule and few brands produce with quality, add worms with the singular reason of enhancing their Mezcales with an earthy and fungal vibe. Our personal recommendations are El Cortijo reposado con gusano and Wahaka reposado con gusano. They are aged in oak barrels and the worm intensifies their aromatic profile. That oak profile makes those Mezcales specifically suited for the worm. You should definitely give them an opportunity and if you have tasted other really good Mezcales with worms, let us know. Mixto tequila uses 51% agave, technically an agave made spirit, and 49% cheaper sugars, usually corn sugar.