Mezcal, sometimes spelled mescal, is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from any Agave. Mezcal is cooked inside earthen pits lined with lava rocks and filled with wood and charcoal before being distilled in clay pots.

• Categories - There are three legally defined mezcal categories, as set out by the Consejo Regulador del Mezcal (CRM): Mezcal, Mezcal Artesanal, and Mezcal Ancestral.
• Ages - Mezcal is grouped into three categories by age, including Joven (Blanco or abacado/0-2 months), Reposado (2-12 months), and Añejo (at least one year).
• Varieties - Mezcal comes in a spectrum of agave varieties including Jabali, Tobalá, Pulquero, Cuishe, Arroqueño, Tepeztate, Cenizol, and Pechuga.