Take any bottle of mezcal and, at first glance, things seem pretty straightforward. There is a brand name and a story. There is usually a connection to Oaxaca, agave, a family, a community, or generations of tradition.

It is easy to assume that the company whose name appears on the bottle is the company that actually made the mezcal inside. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t. And that is where the modern mezcal industry becomes complicated.

A mezcal brand and a mezcal producer can be two completely different entities.

Mexican regulations recognize this distinction. Under NOM-070-SCFI-2016, the rules governing the production, bottling, labeling, and commercialization of mezcal, the authorized producer, bottler, and commercializer or brand licensee can be different parties. When they are different, they must establish the appropriate legal relationship to use the Mezcal Denomination of Origin.

In other words, a company can own and market a mezcal brand without actually distilling the mezcal itself. And this is not some unusual exception. It is a documented part of the industry.

Two Different Paths to the Bottle

A 2024 study published in Interciencia examined 121 mezcal marketers in Oaxaca and identified two distinct business models within the mezcal value chain.

The first is relatively simple: the producer also markets its own mezcal. The person or company making the mezcal is also responsible for bringing that product to market. The producer and marketer are essentially one entity.

The second model is more complicated. The researchers identified businesses that purchase mezcal in bulk from producer palenques and then handle the packaging and commercialization themselves. The researchers refer to these businesses as “packer-marketers.”

The result is two very different paths that can lead to the same liquor store shelf. One bottle may come from a company that produces its own mezcal and markets it directly. Another may come from a brand that sources mezcal from an independent producer, purchases it in bulk, bottles it, and builds the brand around it.

Both can legally exist within the mezcal industry.

Is One Better Than the Other?

Not necessarily. This is an important distinction because production and branding are two different skill sets.

Making mezcal requires knowledge of agave, harvesting, roasting, fermentation, distillation, equipment, local conditions, and years of experience at the palenque.

Building a mezcal brand requires a completely different set of skills: bottling, design, marketing, distribution, sales, retail relationships, storytelling, and the ability to introduce a product to consumers who may live thousands of miles away from the community where it was produced.

A great producer can make an exceptional mezcal. A great brand can make sure that mezcal actually reaches consumers. There is nothing inherently wrong with that relationship. The problem begins when the relationship becomes difficult for the consumer to understand.

Who Actually Made the Mezcal?

A bottle can feature photographs of agave fields, stories about generations of tradition, images of producers, and language that creates a strong connection between the brand and the production process.

That story may be completely legitimate. But the people behind the brand may not be the same people who roasted the agave, managed the fermentation, or operated the still. That does not automatically make the brand dishonest. It simply means the relationship deserves to be clearer.

When buying a bottle of mezcal, consumers should be asking:

1. Who produced the mezcal?
2. Where was it produced?
3. Who owns the brand?
4. Who bottled it?
5. What is the relationship between the brand and the producer?

These questions become especially important as mezcal continues to grow internationally.

Transparency Shouldn’t Be the Enemy

Transparency does not mean that every producer needs to own a brand. It does not mean that every brand owner needs to become a distiller. There is room for both.

A good brand can introduce a producer’s mezcal to customers who may never have the opportunity to visit that producer’s community. And a good producer can provide something that no marketing department can manufacture: the mezcal itself.

The issue is not whether a brand works with an independent producer, the issue is whether consumers are given enough information to understand who is doing what.

The name on the front of the bottle tells you the brand. It does not necessarily tell you who produced the mezcal inside. And in an industry built around tradition, place, people, and craftsmanship, that distinction matters.