9 Best Mezcal Brands To Try In 2026

Mezcal didn't really gain traction in the U.S. until the mid to late '90s, starting with Del Maguey, so some could say the fandom is just us making up for lost time with recent trends. Every bottle of mezcal can taste vastly different, even those from the same distillery, which makes tasting the spirit all the more fun. With more than 200 different varieties of agave and wildly different production methods, there's so much to learn about the mezcal distilling process, one of them being that it's far more than just tequila's shadow. The agave-based spirit rewards curiosity and a slower, more intentional way of drinking, which is a refreshing change of pace.

After years of being on the other side of the bar, I've seen firsthand how deeply guests fall for mezcal, especially fellow bartenders. It's not something you toss back like a mediocre shot. You sit with it, savor it, and give it the time it deserves. To build this list, I leaned on years of tasting and research, conversations with fellow bartenders, and recent industry insights. I also looked closely at each brand's story, commitment to craft, and approach to sustainability.

Some of these brands are my tried-and-true mezcal producers, like Bozal and Derrumbes, while others are just breaking through. Once you find a mezcalero you admire, you can follow their work the same way you would a musician or artist. No one dabbles in mezcal casually — it's fueled by passion and steadfast dedication. Each of these mezcal brands is bringing something fun and exciting to the industry, whether that be a limited-edition label or an unexpected color hue.

Bozal earned a spot on our list of top mezcal brands and continues to impress. The gorgeous ceramic bottles are a nice touch and definitely encourage some collecting habits. The Spanish name means wild or untamed, which is fitting given the mezcaleros' focus on wild, rare agave found on the hillsides of Oaxaca, Guerrero, and Durango. Bozal has been around for a while now, introduced by 3 Badge Beverage Corporation in 2016, but it remains one of the top mezcal brands to keep an eye on. The brand launched with four expressions: Espadín-Barril-Mexicano Ensamble, Cuishe Single Maguey, Tobasiche Single Maguey, and Papalote Reserva Ancestral. 

Bozal quickly built a reputation as a serious non-espadín mezcal specialist, and in just a few years grew to carry what is considered the biggest non-espadín mezcal lineup in the world. Just in 2024, the brand was purchased by Maguey Spirits, which means it traveled back to its roots in Mexico. The website provides detailed tasting notes on each bottle, which really shows how much intention and care are put into every label. There is an array of mezcal varieties, but the Tobasiche, part of the Karwinskii variety, was specifically recommended to me and is now a favorite of mine. It can take up to 13 years to make, so be sure to savor each earthy, herbaceous sip.

Here is another brand celebrating a decade in 2026, but with a heartwarming story dating back to the 1960s. It reads like a movie script, with Yola Jimenez inheriting her grandfather's mezcal farm in San Juan del Río and falling in love with the craft. Eleven years after carrying on the farm, Jimenez officially launched Yola Mezcal alongside business partners Gina Correll Aglietti and Swedish musician Lykke Li. Today, it's run by an all-female-led team that prioritizes employee well-being and fair pay. If that's not enough to inspire a purchase, the taste should do the trick. We've previously toasted to women's history month with Yola and dozens of other woman-led spirit brands, but it's just as delicious during any month of the year.

As one reviewer shared, "I would rather sip on this Espadin than use it in a cocktail for its minimal smoke. For me, this is a nicely budgeted sipper I can enjoy" (via Mezcal Reviews). Yola Mezcal still employs the same recipe that Jimenez's grandfather developed with maestro mezcalero Javier Bautista in 1971. The core expression is made from a blend of espadín and madrecuixe, naturally processed and double distilled in direct-fire copper pot stills. When compared to the typical mezcal, Yola's unique natural fermentation period takes double the amount of time (six days rather than three) to develop robust, complex flavors. The Pechuga (made with seasonal citrus of orange, tangerine, lime, guava, pineapple, and tejocote) is just one example of Yola's exciting releases.

Convite was founded in 2013 and is proud to now be Oaxaca's top-selling mezcal. With so many brands coming from that region of Mexico, that's an impressive feat. Each bottle from Convite is made in the traditional way, without the use of any enhancements or accelerators, in small batches in San Baltazar Guelavila's Zapotec mountains. Convite mezcal is produced by brothers Daniel and Tucho (Cosme) Hernández, who are the sixth generation of master distillers in their family. 

Convite's mezcal portfolio spans wild single-agave expressions, including Espadín, Espadín-Madrecuishe, Coyote, Tepextate, and Jabalí, the latter considered the MVP of mezcals, made from a 25-year-old wild agave and the only Convite expression to endure triple distillation. The Espadín is excellent in cocktails, while the Espadín-Madrecuishe is a velvety sip on its own. One reviewer on Mezcal Reviews gaves the Convite Tobala a nearly perfect score, highlighting the "Trail mix type of finish," which is a compliment, followed by "Mouthfeel/heft is perfect." This past year, Convite released the award-winning Una' mezcal, a slightly sweet, citrusy sip with a natural pink hue powered by the cochineal. The color is appealing and unexpected for a mezcal, but its message should be the focus, with a portion of proceeds donated to a Mexican breast cancer charity.

I conferred with other mezcal lovers, and they all pointed to Derrumbes when asked about their current favorite bottles. Nick Auletta, a bartender in Portland, Maine, noted that San Luis Potosí is the brand's more affordable label, making it a popular one among bartenders, the perfect mezcal to upgrade an otherwise predictable cocktail. Beyond the affordability, Auletta shares, "It has like blue cheese on the nose which is so interesting." One of the few non-Oaxacan bottles, but without a doubt one of the best. Derrumbes is "almost candy-like," one Reddit user remarked. They listed tasting notes of "Powdered sugar, guava, fresh iceberg lettuce, lemon peel, cream soda and saltwater taffy." 

Derrumbes embraces every region of Mexico by aligning each bottle with a different state, made by a different local maestro mezcalero using regional agave. Esteban Morales, a former chef, and tequila entrepreneur Sergio Mendoza (of Don Fulano fame) built the brand in 2012 with just $15,000, and now the brand is stacking awards. It's always a good time to try Derrumbes, but with Spirit of Gallo taking a stake in the company a few years back, the brand has been able to reach more bars, and who knows what the bright future holds.

Mezcal de Leyendas' story is one of the oldest on this list, beginning in 2005 at Mexico City's very first mezcal bar, La Botica. This was well before the mezcal wave hit the U.S., and even in Mexico, tequila was the front-running spirit. César González and Danny Mena co-founded the brand and went on to introduce expressions from Oaxaca, Durango, San Luis Potosí, and Guerrero, and created a limited-edition line highlighting small-production batches and rare agaves. One of its many notable triumphs is the world's first mezcal distilled using strictly solar power, which produces a clean spirit with sweet agave flavors but free of smoky flavor.

Ángel Cruz Robles, one of the maestro mezcaleros behind Mezcal de Leyendas' special bottles, has been independently producing mezcal for a decade, but he's no stranger to the industry. His father and grandfather are fellow producers, and Robles is the exact type of dedicated and passionate mezcalero that Mezcal de Leyendas collaborates with. As one Leyendas fan shared in a review, "Ángel makes incredible mezcal in Sola de Vega. The balance between agave and 'muddy' clay is perfect."

Mi Mamá me Dijo is yet another brand founded in 2016, apparently a big year for mezcal, but its momentum is just cranking up. The brand's Reposado mezcal was a finalist, but the Tobalá took home first place in the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition. Made from rare, wild agave found in the Oaxacan canyons, the bottle was praised for its delicate, multifaceted profile. "The floral top notes soften the smoky core; herbaceous and vegetal tones weave in without harshness; and the finish, dense yet balanced, lingers in the glass," The Tasting Alliance shared.

Mi Mamá me Dijo is woman-owned and operated in Matatlán, Oaxaca, and we're reminded with every bottle. The popular Mexican phrase means "my mama always said," in appreciation of the women who taught them everything they know, including the secrets to distilling mezcal. Sustainability is just as important to the team as the product itself, which is why Mi Mamá me Dijo is produced with the use of solar energy, rainwater, and pesticide-free agave. The brand even takes it a step further by producing bricks from the distillery's excess waste, known as bagazo.

Catedral de mi Padre mezcal is one of the few U.S.-based brands on our watch list this year, operating out of California by a dad-and-daughter team, Jeff and Sydney Block. The Block family is new to the industry, launching in 2022, but the Ensamble Cuishe already landed runner-up in the 2025 New York World Spirits Competition (NYWSC), right behind Mi Mamá Me Dijo. "This beautifully crafted mezcal opens with inviting aromas of warm toffee, ripe piña, leather, and fresh green notes," the NYWSC judging panel remarks. 

The debut collection launched with six expressions made by six master mezcaleros: four single varietals and two ensambles, which is simply a mezcal distilled from more than one type of agave. Each bottle features a handcrafted leather bottom in a different color depending on its variety. Every taste is sustainably and ethically sourced, with a QR code linking to video interviews with the mezcalero who made it. Aside from the mouthwatering, complex bottles, Catedral De Mi Padre puts its employees and collaborators first. Every Oaxacan family the brand works with holds equity in their U.S. company, a rarity in this type of working relationship.

Desolas is another newcomer, with just six years on the mezcal scene. Founder G.G. Mirvis started the mezcal brand while she was still studying at Columbia University, but nothing could slow down her search for the perfect unsmoked mezcal. She clearly succeeded, as Robb Report designated the Desolas Blanco the "best lightly smoky" mezcal. Salmiana agave is cooked in above-ground hornos rather than the usual underground roast to avoid the heavy smoke factor.

Mirvis proves there's still more to discover when it comes to agave. Prior to Desolas, salmiana agave wasn't commercially sold, and now it's on shelves across the country. Even now, Mirvis still isn't a huge fan of heavily smoky mezcals. In fact, the brand's latest release is an añejo aged in bourbon barrels. Desolas Mezcal has seemingly won award after award in recent years, with Double Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025).

Jacqui Thompson and Ingrid Chavez were working on this female-run mezcal brand for years before launching in 2022 with its signature expression, a unique cacao-distilled Espadín with notes of brown sugar and a clay minerality. In its few years on the market, Las Melodías De La Luna has already secured a handful of awards and recognition. In 2024, the mezcal brand earned both silver and gold medals, and the following year earned Double Gold and Best in Class Finalist at the San Francisco Spirits Competition.

After years of searching for a partner, the duo committed to Rosario Ángeles, an incredible mezcalera based out of the tiny village of Santa Catarina Minas. Ángeles pushes the boundaries with flavor, but while still practicing ancestral tradition. Reviewers have been enthusiastic about Ángeles' work specifically — her complex mezcals reveal a nuanced grasp of both the tradition and its potential. The brand's mezcal portfolio currently includes three expressions — the cacao-distilled Espadín, a clay pot-distilled Espadín, and a special limited-edition Tobalá.

To finalize this list of the nine best mezcal brands to try this year, I first factored in the obvious — taste — and then industry reputation, firsthand recommendations, and assorted reviews. I drew on experience, scores, and reviews from trusted publications, awards and recognition, and company ethos. I gave equal consideration to the brand's story and production: how agave is sourced, the minds behind the bottle, and sustainability commitments. The result spans legacy producers and exciting newcomers, each with something special to offer mezcal fans in 2026.