Sep 10, 2026 | Read Online​

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TASTING EVENTS

🔎 Find 100+ agave-themed dinners, tastings, happy hours, festivals, bar crawls, and other exciting events @ mezcalculture​
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FRIDAY - SEP 11

CO: Lakewood
​La Feria del Tequila y Mezcal 2026! All-inclusive Event​
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​SATURDAY - SEP 12

CA: Lake Elsinore
​Tequila tasting with Arette​
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CA: Pico Rivera
​Bienvenidos Al Agave​
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DC: Washington
​Ace Beverage - In-Store Tasting - Lagrimas and Volans Tequila​
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MD: Baltimore
​Meander X Neatfreak Agave Club #1 Intro to Agave Spirits​
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MO: St. Louis
​Copita Symposium: Mezcales of the South​
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NY: Clarence
​Havana Nights at The Humbert House​
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OH: Harpersfield Township
​Barrel Tasting & Release - Seven Brothers Reposado Agave Spirit​
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​SUNDAY - SEP 13

CA: Long Beach
​Cumbia and Tequila 2026: Dance This Cumbia​
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MO: St. Louis
​Copita: Agave Spirits Festival​
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​MONDAY - SEP 14

TX: Austin
​Del Maguey Mezcal Spirit Society at Seven Grand Austin​
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NY: New York
​For The Love of Agave 2026​
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PA: Philadelphia
​Mezcal Monday With Vago at Ama​
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​TUESDAY - SEP 15​
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FL: Orlando
​Tacos, Tequila, & Connections​
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FL: Tallahassee
​Tequila Tasting, Blending & Bottling Event​
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TX: Houston
​An Evening with Gran Centenario Tequila at Escalante’s Meyerland​
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TX: Houston
​The Art of Agave Featuring El Tesoro​
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WI: Lake Geneva
​Teremana Tequila Dinner and Tasting​
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​WEDNESDAY - SEP 16

CO: Centennial
​Ilegal Mezcal Pairing Dinner at My Neighbor Felix Centennial​
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FL: Dunedin
​Mezcal Dinner ~ Mexican Independence Day​
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FL: Tampa
​Tequila General Gorostieta Social​
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IL: Chicago
​Tequila Dinner at Lirica Restaurant with Milagro​
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​THURSDAY - SEP 17

CA: Pasadena
​Mijares 106th Tequila Tasting Anniversary​
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DE: Bethany Beach
​Gran Centenario Tequila Dinner at Zoca​
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GA: Athens
​Tequila Education Night w/ Colten Murray of Pedro Furtivo Tequila​
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GA: Atlanta
​The Producer Mezcal Experience at Patria Mezcaleria​
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IL: Chicago
​Tequila Tasting​
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NJ: Boonton
​Petals & Pours - Bloom Bar and Cocktails​
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NV: Las Vegas
​Wine meets Agave: Tequila Corrido Experience​
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NY: White Plains
​Beyond Agave: A Mezcal, Sotol & Artisan Cheese Experience​

VIEW MORE EVENTS

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MEZCAL TRAVEL DIARY

In the last several years, Tulum has fallen off the map.

High prices, seaweed-infested beaches, and a lack of basic infrastructure ran off all the expats and influencer-types.

Crooked cops, cartel killings, and a rampant drug scene scared off anyone else considering it as a stop on their Riviera Maya tour.

Today, a brand new airport sits underutilized, thousands of Airbnbs sit empty, and businesses are struggling to make it through the low season.

That said…I really like Tulum!

And I think one of the best mezcalerías in the world happens to be there.

It’s called Mamazul and they have one of the best agave programs I’ve ever seen.

On a recent visit, I did a mezcal and cheese pairing.

It’s a standard offering at the venue, but I benefited greatly from the lack of crowds, so the bartender added about 10 extra pours to an already heavy lineup!

And his recommendations were spot on.

I sampled a variety of expressions from shelves packed with rare, small-batch producers.

I enjoyed pours from brands such as Lulo, De La Cruz, Aguerrido, Caballito Cerrero, Lechuguilla, Tesoro, Arráncame la Vida, and some bottles that didn’t have labels at all, of course.

But the last one, was my favorite — FaneKantsini. There were only 20 bottles made in this batch, and this was one of them.

I’ve been to Tulum three times now. It’s not scary. And while it's certainly not as busy as it used to be -- it’s far from being dead. There are plenty of amazing cultural things to do there. And the mezcal scene is both wide and deep.

Maybe I had a bit too much to drink but, on this trip, I realized something. When I travel, mezcal gives me purpose.

It’s the common ground I look for no matter where I am in the world. If I can find a true agave bar, it helps me find friends and get recommendations from people with similar tastes.

It's my home in an unfamiliar place.

If you ever find yourself in the region, at least take a day trip to Mamazul. I took a bus from the airport for less than $30. But if it makes you feel better, there are plenty of private drivers who will take you there in style for much more.

EXPLORE MAMAZUL

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TASTING NOTES

Brand: Gusto Histórico​
​Category: Destilado de agave (see note below)​
​Agave: 100% Madrecuixe (Agave karwinskii)​
​Producer: Maestro Mezcalero Victor Ramos​
​Region: Mengolí de Morelos, Miahuatlán, Oaxaca​
​ABV: 52% (varies batch to batch)
​Batch: 200 litres​
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​THE SNIFF:
​ - Green vegetables, tobacco, and cool mint.
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​THE KISS:
- A little apple sweetness and a hit of salt before the vegetal side kicks in.
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​THE COAT:
- Silky, almost oily. Vegetables and herbs up front with salted caramel behind that, followed by a crack of white pepper.
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​THE SWALLOW:
​ - Intensity: Hot. It's 52%, and you'll feel it.​
- Complexity: Complex​
- Body: Full​
- Length: Long​
- Smoke: Light

Did I Like It? Yes!

OVERALL REVIEW: This one drinks like a vegetable garden, and I mean that as a compliment. Madrecuixe is a karwinskii agave, the tall skinny ones that grow like little trees, and it almost always leans green and savory instead of sweet. Victor Ramos made a clean, textbook version of that.

The nose gives it away immediately. Tobacco, green pepper, cool mint. Then the first sip surprises you by coming in bright and slightly sweet before the herbs and vegetables take back over. It coats thick and finishes long, turning earthy with a peppery bite that sticks around well after you swallow.

At 52% it burns, but the alcohol is folded in well and it never smells sharp. If the heat is too much, a couple drops of water knocks the edge off and lets the green side open up.

Only 200 liters exist, so grab it if you see it!

BARTENDER'S NOTE: If you've spotted a bottle labeled "destilado de agave" and wondered if it's some kind of knockoff, let's clear that up…it's not.

Destilado de agave just means agave distillate. This is the catch-all for any agave spirit that doesn't qualify for a government regulated designation like mezcal, tequila, raicilla, or bacanora.

Producers land here for a few reasons:

• Certification is expensive and producers don’t want to pay it.
• Government regulations clash with how a producer works.
• The palenque sits outside the map lines of an official production zone (DO).
• The producer doesn’t feel the process adds any value.

None of these reasons makes the liquid inside your bottle worse.

In fact, some of the most honest, traditional, small-batch agave spirits live outside the regulatory system because their makers wouldn't compromise the process to fit the paperwork.

´👉🏽 DOWNLOAD THE TASTING GUIDE:

Below is the tasting guide I use to capture my notes. ​I designed it to follow the way you "should" drink mezcal -- Sniff, Kiss, Coat, Swallow. Mezcal Tasting Guide | MezcalCulture.Com - 2026.pdf​​​

WHAT'S SHAKIN'?

:: DOWNTRADING HITS HERRADURA, EL JEMADOR IMPROVES​
When your rail tequila outperforms your premium line, is that the market telling you premium sales are on the outs?
​Read More...​
​Source: Spirits Business

:: DOS HOMBRES ADDS REPOSADO TO TEQUILA LINEUP​
I'm not a fan of celebrity anything. I wasn't surprised when when Dos Hombres launched a tequila line. It left me wondering "what's next"? My guess is something in a can. Does this article hold a clue?
​Read More... ​
​Source: Spirits Business

:: TILAKNAGAR BUYS 30% STAKE IN TEQUILA MAKER
​Seems like everyone wants a piece of agave now. Including India. As the the Indian middle class continues to grow, this could be a major market for tequila and mezcal brands.
​Read More...​
​Source: Spirits Business

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MEZCAL CULTURE RESOURCES

1. ​The Best Mezcal & Tequila Bars​
2. ​Mezcal Brands Available in the USA​
3. ​Mezcal Tasting Guide​
4. ​Mezcal Tours in Mexico​
5. ​The Best Mezcal Cocktails​
6. ​Mezcal Merch​
7. ​Our Summer Spotify Playlist​

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