Top 10 Best Selling Mezcals at the World’s Best Bars in 2025

(Photo: Ilegal Mezcal)

Drinks International recently released its annual Brands Report, which detailed the best-selling spirits among bartenders worldwide. Our eyes immediately went to mezcal, a category that has witnessed dazzling growth since the tequila boom of the late-2010s.

Mezcal’s bonafides in the mixology world are unusual. In place of a definitive cocktail, the liquor has instead positioned itself — in the eyes of many — as a substitute for the usual favorites. After all, why order a margarita when you could drink a mezcal margarita, or an old fashioned when there also exists the Oaxacan old fashioned? This attitude of replacement has introduced the spirit to an audience of skeptics, many of whom are now branching out to explore the vast world of everything agave.

But which brands stand out from the pack?

Though there are thousands if not tens of thousands of mezcal producers dotted throughout the mountains and valleys of Mexico, only a slim number have the resources to distribute their product worldwide. Because of this, the best-selling mezcals list remains relatively unchanged year over year, with a handful of established names dominating the market even at the world’s best bars. Nonetheless, no distiller on this list is quite the same as the last. Brands range from blockbuster celebrity-backed ventures to small-batch family affairs that have been producing mezcal the same way for centuries.

Data for the ranking was sourced from a diverse sample of venues that featured in recent editions of The World’s 50 Best Bars, Tales of the Cocktail’s Spirited Award and other regional awards including North America and Asia’s 50 Best Bars. Bar owners were asked to check their spreadsheets and rank the top three best-selling products in each category.

10. Casamigos

(Photo: Casamigos)

Brand name recognition goes a long way in marketing a new product. Case in point: Casamigos Mezcal, a product launched in 2018 by George Clooney’s wildly popular spirits brand. It’s the first and only foray outside of tequila from Casamigos, and a remarkably successful one at that.

It’s a credit to the star power of Clooney that this single bottle could make an appearance on the top 10. The Espadin expression is distilled by fifth-generation mezcaleros in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca, resulting in what the brand describes as an “easy to drink, perfect smokiness.” Though you won’t find it recommended by your favorite agave influencer anytime soon, Casamigos Mezcal is widely available just about everywhere spirits are sold.

9. The Lost Explorer

(Photo: The Lost Explorer)

The Lost Explorer was founded in 2020 by businessman Thor Björgólfsson and environmentalist David de Rothschild, of the de Rothschild banking family.

Sustainability takes center stage. At its distillery in Oaxaca, the brand utilizes solar panels, recyclable bottles and a “sacred covenant” ethos that closely monitors its carbon footprint and ties to the community. In addition to a mezcal tobala, espadin and salmiana, the brand recently expanded into the tequila category with a blanco produced by ex-Don Julio distiller Enrique de Colsa.

8. Ilegal

(Photo: Ilegal)

Ilegal derives its name from a surprisingly literal origin. The brand was conceived in 2004 by Jon Rexer, an American who began smuggling bottles of mezcal from Oaxaca, Mexico to a bar he owned in Antigua. By 2006, Ilegal went legit. By 2023, the brand was acquired by spirits giant Bacardi for a reported $130 million.

The meteoric rise of Ilegal can be credited to just a small handful of expressions. Unlike most mezcals on the market, the brand offers only an unaged joven, a four-month reposado and a 7-year extra añejo. By leaning into the appeal of age statements, Ilegal has capitalized on the popularity of tequila and expanded its base to a new audience of agave lovers. Definitely keep an eye on this distiller in years to come.

7. Bruxo

(Photo: Bruxo)

Bruxo is a project launched in 2010 by a group of friends who set out to celebrate the magic of mezcal. Its name is a transliteration of brujo, Spanish for shaman, substituted with an “X” that pays homage to its origin lands Oaxaca and Mexico.

The brand’s labeling scheme is equally potion-like, opting to name its expressions No.1, No. 2., No. 3 and so on. Its mezcals are often noted for their smoky character and comparatively low prices within the category.

6. Alipus

(Photo: Alipus)

Alipus is hands down the most old-school operation on this year’s list. According to the brand, many of its distillers crush their roasted agaves by hand using wooden mallets. Others opt for the mule-drawn tahona.

Nearly all of its expressions are distilled from locally harvested agave espadin in the mountains and valleys of Oaxaca. We’re particular fans of the brand’s Destilado en Barro and Santa Ana del Rio expressions, each of which is loaded with a rich mineral character brimming with the region’s terroir. It’s always great to see a back-to-basics brand get this much recognition and we hope its success only grows from here.

5. 400 Conejos

(Photo: Proximo)

400 Conejos is the flagship mezcal of Proximo Spirits, the agave powerhouse behind Jose Cuervo, 1800 Tequila and Maestro Dobel. As such, the brand enjoys a level of distribution and availability unrivaled by any other brand on this list.

Most of its expressions are distilled using agave espadin and are marketed for use in cocktails. The brand’s name and logo pay homage to the Centzon Tōtōchtin, the 400 rabbits of Aztec mythology often referred to as the gods of drunkenness.

4. Derrumbes

(Photo: Derrumbes)

Mezcal Derrumbes was founded in 2012 by Esteban Morales and Sergio Mendoza, the creators of the ever-excellent Tequila Don Fulano and La Venenosa Raicilla. Each of Derrumbes’ expressions pays homage to a different state and agave varietal within Mexico, with a particular focus on its core three offerings dubbed Oaxaca, Durango and San Luis Potosí.

The brand jumped up six places on this year’s list thanks to Spirit of Gallo, the California-based alcohol powerhouse behind High Noon Vodka Seltzer. With Gallo at the reigns of distribution, Derrumbes is set for a breakout year in 2025 and beyond.

3. Montelobos

(Photo: Montelobos)

The top three spots on the mezcal ranking have remained unchanged for the past three years. Kicking off the dependable trio is Montelobos, a distiller founded by molecular biologist Iván Saldaña in 2011.

The brand keeps its catalog short and sweet with a small roster of expressions including an espadin, tobala and pechuga distilled with turkey breast. Montelobos was acquired by spirits giant Campari Group in 2019 and is particularly popular in bars throughout Mexico.

2. Siete Misterios

(Photo: Siete Misterios)

Brothers Julio and Eduardo Mestre partner with over a dozen distillers to bring Siete Misterios to life. The brand takes a decidedly small-batch approach, leading some expressions to vary in flavor and alcohol content depending on the year. What doesn’t change, however, is the Dia de Los Muertos-inspired artwork found on each bottle.

Siete Misterios has been an official partner of the World’s 50 Bars list since 2021 thanks to a joint venture with Chatham Imports, the producer of acclaimed American whiskey brand Michter’s. The deal has elevated an already great brand to unprecedented heights.

1. Del Maguey

(Photo: Del Maguey)

Was there ever any doubt? If you’re familiar with only a single mezcal, there’s a good chance it’s Del Maguey. The brand’s assortment of colorfully illustrated bottles pop out like Pokémon cards on the liquor store shelf, each beckoning customers in with price tags ranging from $40 all the way up to $200.

Each tier offers some great stuff. Del Maguey Vida is the definitive cocktail mixer at bars worldwide, a popularity recently capitalized upon with variations like Vida Puebla and Vida Dia De Los Muertos. If you’ve got a few dollars to spare, we’d highly recommend the brand’s Pechuga and Minero, which are among our database’s highest-reviewed spirits to date.