Mezcal is the broader category of Mexican agave spirits: any agave spirit from a designated set of states, produced using any of the 40+ agave varieties permitted under the DO. Tequila is one mezcal produced from a single agave variety (Blue Weber) within a specific geography. The key production distinction is pit roasting: agave pinas are cooked in earthen ovens lined with volcanic rock, which imparts the characteristic smoke character absent from tequila (whose agave is cooked in above-ground steam ovens or autoclaves). Production is concentrated in Oaxaca, with significant operations in Guerrero, Michoacan, and Durango.

Bouchon's mezcal range is built around Oaxacan producers with documented single-village and single-agave-variety sourcing. Mezcal Vago sources from multiple Oaxacan palenqueros (artisan distillers) and releases each maestro, village, and agave combination as a separate expression Ensamble (blends of two or more agave varieties from one maestro), Espadin (the most planted Oaxacan agave), and the single-varietal releases track individual agave character within the same production tradition. Domingo Mezcal includes the Papalote expression from the rare Agave cupreata of the Guerrero highlands as their most distinctive release.