Is Mezcal Dangerous?
In Short, No, And Why Not
BILL: “You drink that stuff?”
ME: ”Artesanal mezcal? Yes I drink that stuff.”
BILL: ”Aren’t you worried you could go blind!?”
ME: ”No actually. The maestros I work with in the campo have been making this stuff for generations. It’s their livelihood, their pride—and I get it directly from them.”
BILL: “But what about those menthols?!”
ME: “Menthols? (thinking) Do you mean methanol? Look most of these little family mezcaleros are selling their stuff to companies who—in looking out for their own interests—test it to make sure there’s no issue with that. They save a little back for guys like me. They’re also incredibly conscientious about making it right—since their community is drinking it too. Also, keeping very low, safe levels of methanol is super easy to achieve. I have never once heard of a single person getting dangerous mezcal from a maestro.”
BILL: “Mmm hmm. (pause) Cuz one time I bought a quart ‘o moonshine in Kentucky from a guy, and I got a headache big time. A buddy told me maybe it had menthols in it; so I threw it right out! Sure glad I did! I sure hope you know what you’re doin’!”
ME: “Thanks.” (sigh)
The irritation I get when it comes to this subject is definitely NOT from people who just don’t know and wish to be informed. It’s more from people who won’t listen or are unable to absorb an informed reply. Believe me: the above “menthols” conversation went on much longer than I’ve revealed—and included a few participants who were very experienced with it.
Is Mezcal Safe to Drink?
If you’re asking this question it’s no doubt because you’re aware it’s indeed possible to drink a beverage that isn’t safe—and methanol might be a primary concern in this regard. As one who cannot possibly be considered an expert on this subject, I’ll share that I’ve accumulated information from many who are and/or those who’ve had many years of experience in understanding it.
The warning: if a human ingests about 10 mL of pure methanol, it can produce permanent blindness by destroying the optic nerve. Depending upon the individual, anywhere from 15 mL to 100 mL can be fatal. But just what is methanol?
Methanol is the bad stuff from distillation. It mostly comes out toward the beginning because it has a boiling point of only 148F. Ethanol is the good stuff. It’s boiling point is 174F. So it’s easy to distinguish between the two.
Max Rosenstock of NETA Spirits, who works with several maestros in the Miahuatlán region of Oaxaca, expressed that there are certainly plenty of examples of spirit adulteration, but this is primarily when, for example, distillers are using some proportion of sugar cane in place of the agave or other grains the spirit is supposed to be made from.
There are also plenty of examples of bar proprietors who take a perfectly good spirit—and add water or a cheaper, inferior spirit to it. I’ve had this experience locally here in San Miguel de Allende. It’s certainly dishonest and absolutely pisses me off, but not what might make anyone actually nervous.
Max also points out, “The Mexican standards are copies of 1980s French wine standards.” Why is this relevant?
First, methanol is not actually a product of distillation, but instead fermentation. It seems most (including me) haven’t been aware of this. So any concern about a spirit having excess methanol should rightly be extended to any beverage derived from fermentation as well. Rosenstock also reveals that those French wine standards “do not correlate at all with any sort of legitimate distillation or health norms.”
”I’ve tested tons of batches,” says Rosenstock, “and nothing has come close to what is allowed in most European countries… even the US, which included 2x and 1x distilled mezcales with every species of agave and other plants that folks distill in Miahuatlan.”
Alastair Wilcox, another Oaxacan mezcal aficionado and amateur distiller from South Africa who has researched this topic deeply says, “In reality, there is more methanol in a bottle of red wine than there will ever be in a bottle of distilled spirit.” He also points out that the ideal antidote to methanol is (no joke) ethanol! “The cure for methanol poisoning is ethanol; hence what small amounts of methanol that are in a spirit, (are dispensed with by) the presence of ethanol, (which) will block it being metabolised in the liver.” This would seem to make this issue a bit of a nothing burger.
But I suppose at this point your suspicions are rising. You know there have been reports of adulterated spirits harming and even killing people throughout your life. So am I saying it’s all baloney? Not exactly.
Wilcox states, “The only way to get methanol poisoning from distilled alcohol is if someone goes to a shop, buys a shit load of methanol and mixes that with the distillate.” And it’s true that, if we’re to accept media and government reports, this does indeed happen. Yet quite rarely.
And should we always accept these reports?
Regulatory Capture
To be clear, I cannot make the following assertion from my own experience. So I’ll merely share the nature of this element as I’ve understood it in the wider history of governments and their bureaucracies around the world—and based on what I’ve heard from Mexicans who have knowledge of it here.
Regulatory Capture describes a situation in which a regulatory body—purportedly designed for the benefit of the consumer—actually ends up working toward the interests of those they are supposed to be regulating. Whether those involved in the regulatory body discover it is in their financial interest, or merely that they begin to identify with those whom they’re regulating, it can be a frustrating element to navigate—especially if you’re not a wealthy business owner.
A wealthy businessperson’s money and influence can be of substantial benefit to a politician. Further, when those politicians create bureaucracies to regulate a certain industry, the simplistic conclusion is that the rich owner is inconvenienced and grieved. On the contrary, the more burdensome those regulations are, the more it becomes frustrating to the small business owner. Major companies? They can afford a whole compliance team—and are often invited to take part in the specifics of the regulation, which invariably results in advantages for them—including limiting competition.
And all of this is obscured by frequent expressions of concern over “safety” and “public health.”
COMERCAM is the government agency that regulates mezcal production and certification. While they may claim that they are looking out for both the safety of consumers and the mezcal industry, suffice it to say the smaller maestros in the campo see it differently.
Rosenstock says this about much of the regulation and warnings over possible dangerous mezcal… "It’s just about keeping the campesino (poor agricultural worker) out of the market.” The fact is, he claims, “big industry can’t compete with that quality and never can. Only quantity. Plus, rich people are terrified of the idea of campesinos with power and self determination. That’s the greatest threat to the status quo in Mexico.”
That regulating agency “spent 20 plus years telling everyone that their old recipes were garbage and unsafe,” comments Rosenstock who actually measures such things. Yet, “some of those old recipes produce “cleaner” mezcal than the stripped down 2x distilled liquid,” that large, commercial distilleries are producing.
So What the Hell is Going On?
While there are occasions when dangerous spirits are sold and consumed, Rosenstock says, “that garbage is being produced by coyotes who operate on a regional or local level…but none of those deaths come from real mezcal made with 100% agave.” Such repugnant characters will remove some of the original spirit from bottles and pour cheap methanol into it, rounding it out, selling the poisoned product for a profit.
Are they specifically doing this with mezcal? Not at all. The largest story of this nature in years comes from Morelos, Mexico in 2020, where 7,000 bottles of whiskey tainted with methanol were seized.
But why make this clear as a regulator—or wealthy participant in the regulatory system—when you can gain advantages by casting aspersions upon those little mezcaleros? Of course it’s not TRUE, but it’s a story that helps you and your associates’ relevance. And you can always diminish any criticism over this by maintaining a manufactured, holier-than-thou posture of caring about the people.
One bit of good news: the Mexican government earlier this year settled a legal dispute by announcing that three other entities would also be allowed to certify mezcal. As to how this plays out, who can say? But in the least it would seem that a bit of power decentralization may lead to less burdensome control over the smaller producers.
I’ll move toward a conclusion with the testimony of Alvin Starkman of Oaxaca’s Mezcal Educational Tours, who holds an M.A. in social anthropology from Toronto's York University and a J.D. from Osgoode Hall Law School. He also wrote a book, “Mezcal in the Global Spirits Market,” as well as over 35 articles centering upon Mexican craft beer, pulque, mezcal and sustainability. Regarding this topic he writes…
“I have never heard of such a thing, except in Kentucky or Tennessee when distillers would either spike their whisky with methanol to increase profit, or use car radiators rather than proper condensers, made with metals not intended to be used in distillation and/or caked with antifreeze which by law must have a lot of methanol. It's just not true. And yes, the industry self regulates in the villages, so if anyone tried anything like that, that is not making mezcal properly, the other villagers would take matters into their own hands. I have been drinking uncertified mezcal for 30 years, and though I just had my glasses prescription changed, I am not close to blind. It's just one of those old wives' tales; at least I can confirm it simply does not happen anywhere in Mexico of which I am aware.”
Final Thoughts
If you’re cautious about the idea that artesanal mezcal might be dangerous, it is no doubt because you are unfamiliar with how it is made. And that’s certainly understandable—unless and until you indeed become informed. But if the idea is that somehow a government agency is what will keep you safe, there is a bit of irony from history.
Early in the 20th century, the US government allowed producers of industrial alcohol to avoid the higher tax on potable alcohol by “denaturing” it. Nice term. This usually involved adding methanol to it!
But during Prohibition, crime syndicates would steal this alcohol and hire chemists to “renature” it; they could then use it for alcoholic beverages. So federal officials ordered manufacturers to make it far more deadly. In addition to methanol, they also used kerosene, gasoline, benzene, formaldehyde, chloroform and other additives. The Treasury Department ordered them to ensure those deadly additives were at least 10% of the product. Some estimates are that 10,000 persons died nationwide as a result of this poisoning.
There were no apologies made. Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Seymour Lowman, actually said… “The great mass of Americans do not drink liquor.” He said those who do, “are dying off fast from poison hooch. If America can be made sober and temperate in 50 years a good job will have been done.”
Look, if you are unsure and uncomfortable about drinking something, you’re certainly wise to be cautious. In my case, I’ve come to know of the generations of wisdom and care that go into artesanal mezcal. And the fact that I buy it directly from the maestros who make it is ultimately reassuring—as opposed to the dubious benevolence of politicians.
These men and women are working to make their mezcal delicious and soul stirring. Keeping methanol out of it? Such a thing does not come from any kind of distillation mistake—but only from crooked pendejos. And those pendejos? They don’t warmly welcome you to their homes to drink mezcal with them.
Just WOW. Glad I found you.