Mezcal is having a moment in the spirits industry right now and for good reason. It’s smokey, savory, mouthwatering, and ultimately more adventurous than what you get out of a typical bottle of tequila. Tequila has a very defined and recognizable mix of flavors but mezcal, with all its different varieties of agave both wild and cultivated, can surprise you in ways that its cousin can’t.
That makes landing on a great bottle a bit more difficult. With tequila, you’re pretty safe once you reach a certain price bracket, but with mezcal things feel a bit like the wild west right now and with all the new brands on the market, separating the good from the bad is very necessary. So allow us to guide you through the varied and complex world of mezcal with our eight favorite bottles under $50. These bottles all taste remarkably different, but each brings something to the table that is worth experiencing.
8. Mezcal Amaras — Reposado
ABV: 37%
Average Price: $43.99
The Mezcal:
I’m a huge fan of Mezcal Amaras’ Cupreata variety, which is a bit pricier than the Reposado, but for the money, this is a good bottle and a great entrance into the world of Mezcal if you’re more familiar with tequila.
Mezcal Amaras Reposado is produced by Mescalero Armando Martinez in Oaxaca and made from Espadin agave that is aged in wooden barrels after distillation which really helps to mellow the mezcal out.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Warm luscious caramel with a hint of woodiness.
Palate: Gentle smoke hits the palate with round caramel notes, a hint of spice and an oily body.
Finish: Buttery with hints of oak.
The Bottom Line:
A simple, gentle mezcal with a wonderful depth of flavor that is great for beginners who are used to the flavors of tequila.
7. Campante Joven Mezcal
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $49.99
The Mezcal:
Overseen by master Mescalero Raúl Rodriguez Reyes, Campante’s joven mezcal is small batch produced in Oaxaca and uses Espadin and barril agave that is tahona ground and cooked in a conical oven before being copper pot distilled.
The bottle design here looks super modern with the syllables of the brand broken up in large text.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft and inviting, notes of vanilla waft from the glass.
Palate: Smooth, suspiciously so. There is a rich chocolate flavor here with flecks of floral and herbal qualities that give this a slight medicinal vibe.
Finish: Oily with a nice lingering burn that ignites the salivary glands.
The Bottom Line: A bit boring to shoot but great for a cocktail. It’s more herbal and floral than smokey, but that characteristic mezcal burn is there.
6. Madre — Espadin Cuishe
ABV: 45%
Average Price: $48.99
The Mezcal:
Madre’s Espadin Cuishe mezcal is a combination of — wait for it — Espadin and cuishe agave that is produced in open-air palenques in the hills of Oaxaca using local water, airborne yeast, and minerals. The agave is cooked in an earthen oven.
I love the bottle design of this one, the label is equal parts minimalist and loud with a simple two-color design. Madre Mezcal produces a handful of other varieties and each one has a simple label that utilizes a different two-color design. It makes differentiating the bottles incredibly easy (take note Del Maguey Vida).
Tasting Notes:
Nose:
Warm chocolate with a dusty earthy vibe.
Palate:
Hints of vanilla with a surprisingly gentle smokey flavor. There are hints of earthy minerality in the flavor, but in a soft approachable way.
Finish:
Almost floral, that smokey flavor lingers on the finish but it’s super smooth and gentle.
The Bottom Line:
If that dusty smokey vibe is what turns you off about mezcal, give Madre a try — it’s smokey but in a gentle and inviting way.
5. Del Maguey Vida Puebla
ABV: 40%
Average Price: $39.99
The Mezcal:
Del Maguey Vida has a strong track record with affordable mezcals and their latest bottle, Puebla, is no different. This joven mezcal is produced in Axocopan Puebla and utilizes ripened local agave roasted underground, naturally fermented, and distilled in small copper pots.
There is something incredibly appetizing about Del Maguey Vida’s glittering green bottles, but I think it makes differentiating the different varieties a bit tough, so be sure to get a good look at the label.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Soft milk chocolate with the slightest hint of nail polish.
Palate: Surprisingly bright and fruity. It has a citrus body with soft peach flavors hovering over roasted agave.
Finish: Easy, and clean, not too much smoke. A fruity finish that would work well in a cocktail.
The Bottom Line:
A bright and fruity mezcal perfect for cocktails.
4. Mezcal De Leyendas — Maguey Verde
ABV: 45.1%
Average Price: $48.99
The Mezcal:
Mezcal De Legends’ Maguey Verde is overseen by second-generation Mescalero Maestro Juan Jose Hernández, known simply in the mezcal industry as “Che,” and follows an original recipe developed by his late father Don Che.
Verde is a limited production mezcal — under 30,000 liters produced per year — from San Luis Potosí. The agave is cooked in steam-heated steel ovens, crushed, and fermented in ground-level cement tanks before being distilled in a custom-designed copper still.
The mezcal is bottled in a short stout bottle with super thick glass a wide mouth and a real cork top with a twin neck for better handling at the pour.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Bright and grassy with sweet chili heat on the nose.
Palate: Surprisingly green and citrusy. It’s not smokey so much as it’s grassy and warm.
Finish: Jalapeño at the finish, no smoke.
The Bottom Line:
If you’re familiar with the flavors of mezcal Verde will straight up taste off at first, but give it a minute for your tastebuds to recalibrate, it’s very interesting and unique. Would work perfectly in a spicy cocktail or anything with pineapple.
3. Pelotón del la Muerte Criollo
ABV: 50.2%
Average Price: $44.99
The Mezcal:
Made from 100% maguey criollo, this joven mezcal hails from Guerrero Mazatlán under the watch of Héctor Obregón. Once cooked, the wild local agave is fermented in open air for five days and double-distilled in Arabic and Filipino stills.
The label design is a reference to the Doliente Hidalgo, a banner that represented the “squadron of death,” which sought revenge for the murder of Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a leader in the Mexican revolutionary war.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Gentle spice on the nose with some soft buttery characteristics.
Palate: Warm and round with a hint of caramel and sweet apple.
Finish: Burning spice and dusty earth. It grows the more of it you drink.
The Bottom Line:
A strong characterful mezcal that relies on dusty spice tones to shock your tastebuds.
2. Montelobos Espadín Joven
ABV: 43%
Average Price: $42.99
The Mezcal:
Montelobos’ Espadin Joven utilizes organic agave that is roasted underground, milled with a single stone tahona, and small batch distilled in copper heated by firewood at Palenque Montelobos.
The bottle design is stealthy and moody in a blackened glass bottle with a sleek wolf-adorned label. It admittedly, looks f*cking cool, which is always a plus.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Honey and green grass, very inviting and fresh.
Palate: A bit of harsh smoke that is counterbalanced with zesty citrus notes.
Finish: A vibrating mouthwatering finish. It’s very oily and drool-inducing, with bright citrus qualities.
The Bottom Line:
Straight-up fun to drink, Montelobos’ Espadin activates the palate with a mix of strong smokey and citrus flavors.
1. Paquera Espadin
ABV: 42.5%
Average Price: $41.99
The Mezcal:
Made from Espadin maguey from Oaxaca matured to seven years and cooked in a conical earthen oven with mesquite wood in a six-day process, tahona ground, fermented in wood barrels and copper pot distilled. Paquera Espadin is crafted by Mescalero Francisco Javier Pere Cruz.
The bottle is ridiculously tall, the photo doesn’t really do it justice. That’s not a slight against Paquera but it’s something to consider if you don’t have enough shelf space.
Tasting Notes:
Nose: Sweet caramel with a fruity character.
Palate: Spicy with hints of wood and the gentlest kiss of brown sugar.
Finish: Oily with a warm savory butter finish.
The Bottom Line:
Well balanced, warm, smokey, and buttery. A very versatile mezcal that is great for shooting, sipping, and mixing.
