Wine and Champagne to drink now

Whisky-makers are increasingly reviving heritage grains as a way of imbuing new – yet ancient – flavours into their spirits. But is it purely flavour compelling these producers to return to the “old ways”?

Tequila and mezcal are spirits that owe everything to their raw ingredient. It is the character of agave – the spiky succulent that grows in Mexico’s hot, arid climate – that gives these spirits their earthy, smoky flavour. They have inherent terroir; it’s about that plant, in that place. And we’re drinking more of it than ever before. Last year, Mexico produced more than 350 million litres of tequila, up 45% since 2014. A huge 70% of that is being exported, mainly to the US. While still on a much smaller scale, mezcal production more than trebled between 2014 and 2018, reaching more than 5 million litres. When our Spirits Buyer Rob Whitehead first took over buying spirits in 2010, Berry Bros. & Rudd didn’t stock any agave spirits. Now, there are a dozen lining our shelves from five different producers, with the range rapidly growing to meet customer demand. So what is it about these unique spirits that have seen their reputation – and their sales – grow so much in the last few years? With some help from Rob, we break down their unique flavour, their styles and their production process.