Mezcal’s Denomination of Origin Expands to Sinaloa Following Litigation Battle

In a historic first, the southern Mexican state of Sinaloa has been granted the right to produce and market mezcal. Photo: PEDRO PARDO/Getty Images

In a huge legal win for mezcal producers in the southern Mexican state of Sinaloa, mezcal can now be produced and marketed from the municipalities of San Ignacio, Mazatlán, Concordia and Rosario.

The change follows a legal dispute between Oaxacan mezcal producers and Sinaloan Secretary of Economy Javier Gaxiola Coppel.

Secretary of Economy, Javier Gaxiola Coppel. Photo: JavierGaxiolaCo/Twitter

Coppel says that Sinaloa was granted the right to produce mezcal by the Mexican government, but that the decision was contested by Oaxacan producers.

Now, Coppel has announced that Sinaloa won the litigation battle and can proceed as originally intended.

“On the subject of mezcal from Sinaloa, there is already a formal decision that we are going to be able to sell our agave as mezcal, we had already won the Denomination of Origin, but there was a legal issue with the producers from Oaxaca, but it has already been won,” said Coppel.

Similar to tequila, mezcal has a protected denomination of origin cemented in law by the Mexican government. According to law, mezcal can only be called “mezcal” if it is produced in the Mexican states of Durango, Guerrero, Guanajuato, Michoacán, Oaxaca, Puebla, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas or Zacatecas.

Espadin agave field in Santiago Matatlan, Oaxaca. Photo: OMAR TORRES/AFP via Getty Images

Despite this, over 70% of internationally distributed mezcal is grown and produced in Oaxaca. It’s a state rich with culinary history, and one which has rightfully established itself as the beating heart of the mezcal industry.

But this doesn’t mean that Oaxaca doesn’t face competition.

Unlike tequila, which can only be made from Blue Weber Agave, mezcal can be made from any agave varietal. In practice, this means that any agave-growing municipality has a chance at breaking its way into the industry.

If this recent legal battle is anything to go by, we may be able to expect new regional varieties of mezcal to start appearing with greater frequency in coming years.

Coppel says that he will soon contact agave producers in Sinaloa to discuss promotion strategies.

Here at The Daily Pour, we do more than write about current events in spirit. We are the only media property reviewing spirits and aggregating the scores and reviews of other significant voices in the spirit world in one place. If you’re interested in getting a shot of spirit in your morning email, sign up for our Whiskey Deal of the Day Newsletter