The state of Oaxaca, in southern Mexico, is where about 85% of the country’s mezcal is produced. Over the last decade, agave-based aguardiente, traditionally smoked and with a relatively high alcohol content, has generated a sales boom in and for Oaxaca. Concomitantly with that, mezcal tourism has arrived in the region, particularly in the state capital. Travelers flock to Oaxaca City and nearby towns and villages to visit the craft distilleries, or palenques, as they are known locally. They come primarily to learn about the diversity of mezcal production methods, flavor and aroma nuances, and industry/agave sustainability. But they also come to launch export business projects; buy at a fraction of the price paid in their home countries; photograph and film the rural producers of aguardiente for commercial purposes; and start the pre-opening due diligence of their own mezcalerías or bars with a significant complement of different mezcals. So how do you decide which tour company, guide, driver, or “expert” to hire for a day or more, depending on the reason for your visit to Oaxaca?

The question has proven to be a conundrum for many visitors to the state, because here in Oaxaca now everyone and their brother wants to get in on the action and profit from “taking the people” to visit picturesque rural palenques. Unfortunately, this sometimes results in not being what the visitor is really looking for. The day may simply consist of visits to roadside tourist distilleries led by a facilitator with only a cursory knowledge of mezcal. Often this “guide” is at best a generalist, with an interest in making money and little else, rather than concentrating on better serving his customers, improving the economic situation of modest producers, or, in more generally, promote the state of Oaxaca. And some aren’t even licensed. Fortunately, most guides and the like don’t fit into such categories. But the problem remains, as to how the visitor to Oaxaca gets what he wants without being duped, either by design or unintentionally.

The easy answer addresses one category of traveler; the visitor who wants to get a more basic understanding of what artisanal mezcal is and how it’s made, and buy a bottle to take home; as tourists used to do in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s when they returned from Acapulco with onyx chess sets and garish hats. All they have to do is hop on a bus or van with the rest of the camera tour group, and it’s done quite simply and, indeed, effectively.

Typically, a tour company driver takes passengers along a single fixed route where they can visit, for example, El Tule (the big tree), Teotitlán del Valle (carpet), Mitla (the archeological site ) and perhaps Hierve el Agua (the bubbling springs) and if it’s Sunday then also Tlacolula (the market town). The tour will, of course, include one of the countless tourist mezcal factories that have been built along the highway over the last decade or two. Such a full day serves its purpose, admirably for many, and for a fairly modest daily fee. Meets expectations. The driver may not know much about mezcal and is relying on the mezcal factory employee to talk and illustrate the processes for the entire bus, which may be fine.

However, for most others, they are the ones who really want to learn; research; sample; buy a higher quality product distilled in clay and/or copper; photography and/or film, presumably something very different is needed. And this includes perhaps even more the growing number of visitors to Oaxaca who almost treat the agave spirits as a religion, making a pilgrimage to the state for something pretty profound.

Regardless of the reason for visiting Oaxaca, you want to ensure that your needs and desires are met by someone highly qualified to serve them legally. You, the client, or client as I prefer to say it (at least from my personal perspective), have the right to satisfy yourself before committing. You want to make sure that the dollars or pesos you will pay are proportional to the service you will receive.

The client/potential client has the right and obligation to himself to ask the difficult questions:

• Are you registered with the appropriate government authority to lead a mezcal tour, and if so, what are the details?
• What are all your other qualifications, aside from maybe having spent your entire life in Oaxaca, knowing the producers, and being a spirits aficionado?
• Is your car or truck insured (optional for passenger vehicles in the state of Oaxaca)?
• How long have you been running mezcal tours and what were you doing before that for a living?
• Have you written any book or article about mezcal, agave and/or sustainability?
• How else do you currently spend your time? Do you also do tours in general?
• How do you select which palenques to visit?
• Do you consider yourself an expert in mezcal, and if so why, and if not why not?
• Can you send me references of people who have previously done a mezcal tour with you and provide me with their full names and cities of residence?
• Do you receive commission from the palenques you visit?
• What do you give back to the community, and/or to the palenqueros and their families, besides helping them sell a bit of mezcal (ie supporting families in other ways, donating to charities)?
• Do you have any arrangements with the palenqueros for after people have tasted and decided not to buy anything (ie do you give them something or am I supposed to leave a tip)?

For more specialized guidance, you may want to ask what experience, if any, they have had working with photographers and documentary companies, and/or helping entrepreneurs successfully start exporting brands to other countries or opening mezcalerías in Mexico or beyond. .

Now, just to be clear, the above is not meant to suggest that you should ask all of these questions, but rather to provide a variety of questions from which you can select which ones are most important to you and which you would not feel too uncomfortable with. asking. Everyone has a different level of comfort.

The most important points in this article are that you want your expectations to be met, to feel comfortable with the way everything is being done, and to be sure that you will receive a value-added service, regardless of what aspects of mezcal interest you.