Tasting

Heavy smoke like that from Oaxaca is often expected on a first taste of Michoacán mezcal. Usually it doesn't show up. Pine wood, green pepper, and ripe fruit come through more strongly here than smoke itself.

The Derrumbes Michoacán mezcal from Tzitzio illustrates this well. It was distilled by Maestro Destilador Guadalupe Pérez, from Agave Cupreata and Agave Alto, in an Alambique Filipino. According to the producers, it shows wood smoke, pine, green pepper, and sweet fruit. This profile is already shaped by the underground fermentation in pine-lined pits. Many consider its flavor typical of the tabernas in Tzitzio.

Since 2018, the Unión de Mezcaleros de Michoacán has organized the Ruta del Mezcal Michoacano. The route passes through Charo, Indaparapeo, Madero, Morelia, Queréndaro, and Tzitzio. Visitors tour tabernas and taste directly with the masters.

Etúcuaro itself, with more than 250 producers, is the heart of the region. It shows most clearly how varied mezcal from wild agave can be. Every taberna has its own oven, its own water, its own yeast. Each bottle differs from the next accordingly.

It's drunk in small sips, from a jícara, a hollowed-out gourd shell, or a simple small glass. No one drinks it in a hurry here, and certainly not straight from the bottle. Drink too fast, and you'll miss exactly the pine and fruit notes that define this region. That holds true in the taberna just as much as at a set table at home.

A short breath over the glass is often enough before the first sip. It helps distinguish smoke from pine.