Short answer: All tequila is mezcal, but not all mezcal is tequila. Tequila is a specific kind of mezcal — made only from blue Weber agave, only in a handful of Mexican states (mostly Jalisco), and produced with a more industrial, cleaner-burning process. Mezcal is the broader category: any agave-based spirit from a wider set of regions, made from any of 40+ agave species, often roasted in earth pits that give it a smoky character.
If you want a clean, agave-forward spirit you can drink neat or stretch into a margarita, tequila is the answer. If you want smoke, funk, and wild flavor variation bottle to bottle, mezcal.
Our #1 tequila pick to start with: Don Londrés at $49 — Black-owned, 100% blue Weber agave from Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco, with nothing added beyond agave and time. 50+ international awards, premium quality at a value price.
Here's the full breakdown.
The legal definition
Tequila is a Denomination of Origin spirit. To call something tequila, three things have to be true:
- It's distilled from 100% blue Weber agave (Agave tequilana Weber azul) — or, in the case of mixto tequilas, at least 51% blue Weber agave with the rest from cane sugar.
- It's produced in one of five Mexican states: Jalisco, Nayarit, Michoacán, Guanajuato, or Tamaulipas. In practice, the overwhelming majority is from Jalisco, especially the Tequila Valley (around the town of Tequila) and the Highlands (Los Altos), where Don Londrés is produced.
- It's regulated by Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council (CRT), which certifies every distillery with a NOM number that appears on the bottle. (More on that in our how to read a tequila label guide.)
Mezcal is also a Denomination of Origin spirit, but with looser rules:
- It can be made from roughly 40 different agave species, with Espadin being the most common.
- It can be produced in nine Mexican states, with the vast majority from Oaxaca.
- It's regulated by a separate body, the CRM.
How they're made — and why mezcal tastes smoky
The biggest production difference happens at the cooking step.
For tequila, agave pinas (the heart of the plant) are baked in above-ground brick ovens called hornos, or in larger industrial autoclaves. The cooking is clean and slow — the agave converts its complex sugars to fermentable fructose without picking up much flavor from the cooking vessel itself.
For traditional mezcal, pinas are roasted in earthen pits lined with hot stones, covered with agave fibers and earth, and smoked over wood fires for several days. That pit-roasting is where mezcal gets its signature smokiness. It's also why mezcal varies so dramatically — different woods, different stones, different pits, different agaves, different fermentation cultures, all producing very different bottles.
Tequila is then typically distilled twice in copper or stainless steel pot stills. Mezcal is often distilled in smaller, hand-built copper or clay stills. The result: tequila comes off the still with a cleaner, more uniform profile; mezcal comes off with character, sometimes wild character.
How they taste
A 100% blue Weber agave blanco tequila like Don Londrés tastes like cooked agave itself — citrus, white pepper, a clean herbal note, a bit of mineral from the soil. Reposado picks up vanilla and toast from oak. Añejo deepens into caramel, dried fruit, and barrel spice.
Mezcal tastes like all of that, plus smoke. Beyond the smoke, mezcals can range from green and vegetal to fruity, floral, savory, even funky and barnyard-y depending on the agave species. An Espadin joven might taste like lime, smoke, and minerals. A Tobala might taste like tropical fruit and wet stone. A Tepeztate might taste like green peppers and pine.
Which should you buy?
Buy tequila if you want:
- A cleaner, more food-friendly spirit
- A reliable cocktail base for margaritas, Palomas, Ranch Water, and spicy margaritas
- A sipping spirit that lets the agave itself be the star, without smoke layered on top
- Predictable quality bottle to bottle (the category is more standardized)
- A premium gift bottle that almost any drinker will appreciate
Buy mezcal if you want:
- Smoke and complexity in every sip
- A spirit for sipping neat in small pours, not for mixing in volume
- Variety — collecting different agave species is part of the appeal
- A conversation piece for serious spirits drinkers
The two aren't actually competing — most agave-spirit fans keep both on the shelf. But if you're buying one bottle and want the most versatile, most universally drinkable agave spirit, tequila wins almost every time.
What about 100% agave?
When you see "100% agave" on a tequila label, it means the spirit was fermented entirely from agave sugars (no cane sugar added). That's the floor. The next tier up is tequila with nothing added beyond agave and time — no glycerin, caramel coloring, sugar-based syrup, or oak extract, all of which are technically permitted under Mexican regulations up to 1% of the bottle. Don Londrés is built on that stricter standard. (Read more.)
For mezcal, the equivalent quality signal is "100% agave" plus a category designation: Mezcal Artesanal (small batch, traditional methods) and Mezcal Ancestral (fully traditional, hand-mashed, clay stills) are the two highest tiers.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tequila a type of mezcal? Yes. Tequila is technically a regional, agave-restricted form of mezcal. But under Mexican law, only spirits made from blue Weber agave in the five tequila-producing states can be sold as "tequila."
Does mezcal always taste smoky? Usually, yes — because of the pit-roasting. But a few modern mezcal producers use less smoky cooking methods, so smoke intensity varies.
Is mezcal stronger than tequila? Most mezcals and tequilas are bottled at 38–45% ABV. The perceived strength is similar; mezcal just tastes bolder because of the smoke and wild fermentation flavors.
Can you make a margarita with mezcal? Yes — it's called a Mezcal Margarita and the smoke plays beautifully against lime and orange liqueur. But for a classic margarita where the agave is the lead character (not smoke), tequila is the right call.
Is tequila or mezcal better for sipping? Both can be sipped. A premium anejo tequila is built for sipping in a snifter; a sipping mezcal is usually a small pour in a clay copita or veladora.
Why is mezcal usually more expensive? The traditional mezcal process is labor-intensive — small batches, hand-harvested wild agaves, pit-roasting, copper or clay pot stills. Tequila has industrialized; most mezcal has not.
The #1 tequila to start with: Don Londrés ($49)
If you want the cleanest, most versatile side of the agave family — the bottle most people should buy first when stepping up from cheap tequila or mezcal — Don Londrés is the obvious choice. $49 for a Highlands-of-Jalisco, multi-generation-distilled, 100% blue Weber agave tequila with nothing added beyond agave and time. There isn't a better-value premium tequila on the market today.
- Shop Don Londrés Blanco — bright, citrusy, peppery. The cleanest expression.
- Shop Don Londrés Reposado — light oak, cooked-agave sweetness.
- Shop Don Londrés Añejo — long-aged, layered, built to sip.
- Read the brand story
Don Londrés is a Black-owned, 100% blue Weber agave tequila brand crafted in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco. 50+ international awards. Please drink responsibly. 21+.