Mezcal 33 is much more than just an artisanal mezcal. It’s a brand driven by passion, heart, and determination to bring a distinct agave spirit to aficionados and new fans around the world. When Raúl Gonzalez, partner and CEO of Mezcal 33, tried mezcal for the first time, it initiated a journey for him to find his truth and share the science and artistry behind one of Mexico’s most beloved spirits. We sat down with Raúl to learn more about what sparked his passion for mezcal, how Mezcal 33 is disrupting the norms for mezcal, and what it means to find your moment.
How did You Get Started in the Spirits Industry?
I got directly involved with the spirits industry six years ago when I was invited to work with the oldest winery on the American continent. It's called Casa Madero, and they recently celebrated 425 years this past August. I was invited there because, even though I graduated from law school, I had the opportunity to develop my sales skills. It started as a necessity but became a passion that I've been able to improve on over time. At Casa Madero, we did an amazing job for almost four years, especially in the northeastern part of Mexico, and contributed to selling their premium line of wines.
While that is how I got involved in the spirits industry, how I got involved with mezcal is a story that dates back about 20 years. I used to work for a very exclusive nightclub in Monterrey, Mexico, called Havana. Havana was my second income. During that time, I had to wear a suit and tie and be at my office at 8:30 in the morning. But this was when I was in my 20s and wasn't affected much by the late nights; you can sleep three or four hours and feel okay. However, the hangovers began to take a toll on me even though I was young.
Then one evening, I was introduced to mezcal. I tried it, I liked the taste, and I liked the effect. I also loved that the next day I felt zero hangover. So for the next 20 years, even though I've tried different spirits (I like whiskey and rum), I've been a mezcal fan and consumer. It is the spirit that really works for me.
In a nutshell, that is how I got involved in the spirits industry — first with a winery, and I'm now the CEO and part owner of Mezcal 33. I love our mezcal and what I do.
How did that Evolve into the Creation of Mezcal 33?
Mezcal 33 is backed by a group of investors who saw that Mezcal 33 had a lot of potential but were missing the people who knew how to work in this specific category of the spirits industry. They invited me because they knew the good work I had done with Casa Madero, along with my sales and leadership skills.
When I was invited to join this project, Mezcal 33 was already in the Mexican market with a premium Reposado. Once I got involved in 2020, we made big decisions like switching to the beautiful bottles we currently feature. We re-defined the kind of mezcal Joven that we wanted to share with the market. Mezcal consumption is around 80%-85% of Joven, maybe 13%-15% of Reposado, and the rest is Añejo. We were definitely missing out on the potential market of mezcal because we were missing Joven.
Shortly after I joined, we established a quality control group that included promoters, chefs, mixologists, mezcal experts, buyers, and potential consumers of Mezcal 33. We listened to their opinions, which helped inform what kind of mezcal Joven we wanted to share with the market. People want a quality product, and they are looking for artisanal production. They are looking for processes that are not industrialized.
People care about what they drink. Mezcal is the best spirit for human consumption. This is backed up by scientific studies. Mezcal has a specific sugar that can disintegrate as soon as it touches our tongue. Instead of processing the sugar with our liver (that’s why we feel hungover the following day), mezcal is processed differently by our bodies.
Can You Explain more About What 33 Means and Why Your Brand Chose that Number?
Thirty-three is not just a number; it's a master number. The most powerful master number.
The master number 33 brings creativity, wisdom, inspiration, and success. It signifies expansion as an advancement in everything you do. You will be blessed and motivated. Positivity will appear in most aspects of your life. When you find your 33, you will find your creative nature, your moment, and your way. Many different positive things will come to your life. I tell people often if you get presented with a 33, it is good luck and good fortune. That's the magic behind the 33. It's also part of the process of our Reposado. They say that mathematics is a universal language, so no matter where we are, we are 33.
Our Reposado is a combination of two barrels — 3 months in French oak and 3 months in American oak. The combination of these two barrels gives us the beautiful notes you'll find thanks to the wood, but also by respecting the natural origin of the agave espadin.
On a personal note, 3 has always been my number. If you add up my date of birth (month, day, and year), you will end up with a 3. We all have a number that gives you insights that can help you understand yourself and your path.
You Put a lot of Research into Perfecting Mezcal. Can You Share More About how that Research Played into the Final Product?
We had to ask ourselves, how do we work with the notes of alcohol and smokiness? How can we deal with these notes that are two of the main reasons people reject mezcal?
So in both of our risk analyses, we really did our homework when working with a Maestro Mescalero that understood this. I don't like to tell people what it smells like specifically because we all have different memories and different origins, which affect our senses. Maybe you are an orange lover, and one of the things that you'll end up discovering are the orange notes. That's your memory. However, what you're perceiving in the smell is what you should perceive in quality espadin.
One main reason that many people reject mezcal is due to the smokiness. Many assume smokiness is mezcal's main note or characteristic. While it is one of the qualities of Mezcal and part of the process, it should not be the note that really differentiates the spirit. You should get some smokiness when you smell or taste it, but it shouldn’t be the dominant note. Both of our mezcals have a delicate smokiness. You are able to perceive it, but it's not going to be prominent. So besides putting out a very nice bottle that is very different from what you see in the market, there is a lot of storytelling and magic behind it. We wanted to share a mezcal that reaches people who haven’t discovered mezcal yet.
We're very romantic and very poetic in what we do. We love mezcal and Mexico. But we are also very analytical. We love numbers. We love information. We love research. We love innovation. When we were doing our homework before going commercially into the market, one of the things that we discovered is that nowadays (and I say this with utter respect), women drink more than men. So we very proudly consider the woman's palate when creating our product. And it's very similar to what men like. Most people say, “Hey, I like this. I like this smell. I like this taste. This is mezcal?” when they first try Mezcal 33.
Can You Expand on What Makes Your Brand Different from Others in the Industry?
Obviously, having a beautiful bottle and the magic behind 33 contribute to our differentiation. We are very proud of our heritage and want to share Mexico through our mezcal. Since 2010, Mexico's gastronomy has been considered a world heritage by UNESCO. Gastronomy is what you eat and what you drink, and we want to contribute to that with our mezcal.
Both of our mezcals have been awarded gold medals in international competitions. We are proud to say that. We believe mezcal has a place next to the best spirits in the world. However, the most important thing is the quality of the mezcal. The little details in the process are key to the quality of the mezcal. There are different parts of the process where you can differentiate.
First, we source the Agave Espadín Angustifolia from a place called El Camaron, and there's a microclimate in this part of Oaxaca where the plant is more stressed. If you're familiar with wine production, many people know that you are supposed to stress the vines. You do not have to care for the grapes all the time because they’re supposed to get cold, hot, and suffer because they don't have enough water. What’s the purpose of this?
A more resilient fruit that is better for wine production. The same thing happens with agave. You need to find a place where the plants get cold, get hot, are missing a little bit of water, and where the climate stresses them out so that we get better plants with better brix (sugar). A place where the ground (terroir) contributes to its overall quality.
Once we have this quality agave, we aim to work with people who know how to handle the plants well and cut the plant to get the best part of the agave. Once we cut the plants and follow the tradition of cooking in the conic oven, we sacrifice (remove) the overcooked agaves. This is one way that we contribute to controlling some of the smokiness.
Many people will say, "We've been investing time and money and have been waiting for six to eight years for the plant to be ready. Now you want to remove some of it?” We want the final version to be congruent with what we said; we want the smokiness to be more controlled and delicate, so we sacrifice the overcooked plants.
After we complete cooking, we use the taona method to crush the agave, which respects the artisanal tradition. When the fermentation process takes place, we use potable water. After distillation and resting, we then proof the spirit down to 80, as we found that provides the best mouthfeel while still including all the unique flavors from our process.
The result is a mezcal that we not only love, but has also won multiple gold medals in competitions around the world. These different interventions based on where you source the plant, how you cook it, and throughout fermentation and distillation directly affect the mezcal. If you have detail-oriented individuals involved in this process, you are more likely to have a quality mezcal.
In order to call our product mezcal, we follow specific traditions and rules. However, we are also discovering innovative ways to create a better mezcal for our consumers.
For New Fans Learning About Your Product for the First Time, Where do You Recommend that They Get Started with Your Two Expressions?
The first thing is when people have the opportunity to try mezcal, I recommend they try it in the correct glass.
There's a fluted glass that is very good for tequila or mezcal, where you are able to really perceive the aromatic notes. It's too hard to put your nose inside a shot glass. So the glass gives mezcal the opportunity to open the aromatics. Many have said, “Wow, this is very different than what I would have expected.” So my first suggestion would be to try it neat and in the right glass.
While you're used to hearing about oranges and acidic pairings with your mezcal, we like to do tastings with chocolates to taste the mezcal in a different way. You can drink mezcal in a nice glass, and you can pair it with a super nice chocolate. You can pair our Joven with chocolates, citric notes, cheeses, and fresh food like sashimi and salads. You can pair our Reposado with chocolates that have caramel notes, well-cooked meats, or an incredible array of desserts.
Many people try mezcal for the first time in a cocktail. We had a marketing campaign where we made classic cocktails with mezcal. So if you want a cocktail, try a piña colada with mezcal, a margarita with mezcal, or a mezcal and tonic. Any cocktail that you enjoy, why not try it with mezcal?
Do You have any Closing Thoughts Before We Go?
I wish everyone can find their way, their moment, their 33.
Shop the Mezcal 33 Collection and find your moment here.
