Between 2011 and 2020, mezcal output rose from roughly 980,000 litres to 7.85 million. That is good news for many communities and a problem for a plant that needs at least eight years to mature.
Where the pressure lies
The scientific review by Arellano-Plaza and colleagues (2022) names several fronts. Many species are gathered from the wild without programmes to prevent their loss; wild A. potatorum is under particular pressure. Propagating a few clones on plantations narrows genetic diversity. And heavy use of the most popular species pushes towards monocultures, with biological, environmental and social costs.
The quiote and the pollinators
For some species the flower stalk is cut months before harvest. That cut stops the plant's sexual reproduction. Some populations depend on pollinators for that. Without seed, diversity narrows.
What to ask
As a drinker, three questions help: which species is it? Farmed or wild? Does the producer replant, or let plants go to flower? There is no single answer, but people who ask push the industry towards more careful practice.
- Arellano-Plaza, M., et al. (2022). Mezcal Production in Mexico: Between Tradition and Commercial Exploitation. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 6. www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsufs.2022.832532/full