Common name

Espadín

Mezcal use

Main cultivated mezcal agave; 6-8 year maturity; very widely planted

Producers

Ilegal Mezcal, Real Minero, Mezcal Vago, Paquera, QuiQuiRiQui, El Jolgorio, The Producer, Victorioso, Mezcal de Leyendas, Lalocura, Grulani, Mezcal Colores, Erstwhile, Dixeebe Mezcal, Lamata

Description

Espadín is the agave behind most people’s first mezcal, and most of what’s poured. It’s responsible for at least 80% of mezcal sold.

Size

2.5-4.5 ft (0.76-1.37 m)

State

Aguascalientes; Chiapas; Chihuahua; Ciudad de México; Colima; Durango; Estado de México; Guanajuato; Guerrero; Hidalgo; Jalisco; Michoacán; Morelos; Nayarit; Nuevo León; Oaxaca; Puebla; Querétaro; San Luis Potosí; Sinaloa; Sonora; Tabasco; Tamaulipas; Veracruz; Yucatán; Zacatecas

Terrain

Desert and dry shrubland on well drained sandy or rocky soils; widely cultivated on valley floors and gentle slopes

Species name

Agave angustifolia