All tequilas are mezcal. Tequila is traditionally from the town of Tequila and is made with 100% blue agave. There are now five Mexican states where Tequila can be produced, I am sure this really fills the people of Tequila with all kinds of joy that so many other people are benefiting from their ancestors hard work. But I digress, the agave used in Tequila is always steamed, the best producers of mezcal roast the agave. This gives it a much different flavor than the steamed Agave in Tequila. Not everyone likes the roasted flavor, personally I do, and favor a nice mezcal over tequila. Please beware that mezcal is a catch-all word for any liquor made from the agave, and can be quite ghastly (it is cheap mezcal that has the worm in the bottle).
all tequila is mezcal--but not all mezcal is tequila. As SThitch said, tequila is made from the blue agave cactus--the blue Weber agave, to be exact. Mezcal, on the other hand, can be made from several (seven or eight, if I recall correctly) different types of maguey/agave cacti, including, most commonly, the Espadín variety. Mezcal is primarily produced in Oaxaca. Tequila is primarily produced in the state of Jalisco, where the town of Tequila is located, although it may be produced in several other states.


Not all liquors labeled 'tequila' are in fact made of 100% blue agave; less expensive tequilas can contain up to 49% other sugars and chemical yeasts and may still be labeled 'tequila'. The 51% agave content MUST be blue Weber agave, not some other kind of agave. If the label says the tequila is 100% agave, you're looking at excellent (and usually quite expensive) sipping quality tequila.

A Mexican associate of mine recently took several cases of tequila in trade for some expensive merchandise. My associate failed to look closely at the label prior to making the trade and discovered to his chagrin that the label (which he thought said 100% agave) in fact said *100% Mexican*. The ingredients list was deceptive and the stuff was 100% undrinkable. Caveat emptor!

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