Mexico's Hidden Agave Treasures: Bacanora & Raicilla
When people think of Mexican spirits, tequila and mezcal take the spotlight. But hidden in the mountains and villages of Mexico are two lesser-known gems: Bacanora and Raicilla. Both are born from agave, both carry deep cultural roots, and one of them spent 77 years as an outlaw.
Bacanora: The Spirit That Survived Prohibition
Where: Bacanora is produced exclusively in the state of Sonora, in Mexico's north, and holds its own Denomination of Origin, the same legal protection as Champagne or tequila.
The outlaw story: here is the fact that makes Bacanora special. In 1915, Sonora's governor banned it, and the ban lasted 77 years, until 1992. For three generations, Bacanora was made secretly in the mountains, passed from family to family, its makers risking prison for a tradition. When it finally became legal again, the recipe came out of hiding intact. Very few drinks on Earth owe their survival entirely to stubbornness.
How it is made: from the native Agave pacifica, harvested after 7 to 10 years. The piñas are roasted in underground pits lined with hot rocks (the source of its smoke), crushed by tahona or mill, fermented in open vats with wild yeasts, and distilled twice in copper. Mostly drunk blanco, though reposado and añejo versions exist.
In the glass: robust and complex; earthy, smoky, slightly herbal, with a sweet, smooth finish. If you love mezcal, Bacanora feels like meeting its mountain cousin.
Raicilla: Mexico's Wild Child
Where: the western states of Jalisco and Nayarit, in the same highlands that gave the world tequila, but with none of tequila's rules for most of its history. For centuries Raicilla was called "Mexican moonshine": small-batch, artisanal, and gloriously unofficial. That changed in 2019, when Raicilla earned its own Denomination of Origin, finally joining the protected family while keeping its wild soul.
The agaves: where tequila allows one species, Raicilla plays with many, wild and cultivated: Maximiliana, Lechuguilla, and others depending on the village. Harvest can take 8 to 15 patient years.
How it is made: every producer chooses their own path. Piñas roast in above-ground ovens or underground pits (two very different flavour outcomes), are crushed by tahona or mill, ferment with wild yeasts in open vats, and are distilled in copper or clay pot stills, and the still choice changes everything, just as it does in Scotland.
In the glass: the most varied profile in the agave world: fruity, floral, herbal, sometimes smoky, depending on the agave, the oven, and the still. Two Raicillas from neighbouring villages can taste like different spirits entirely. That is the point.
Why These Two Matter
Bacanora and Raicilla are living traditions: proof that Mexico's agave culture is far deeper than the two famous names. Each bottle carries the story of a specific mountain, a specific family, and a plant that waited up to fifteen years for its one chance. (How that plant became sacred in the first place: The Story of the Agave Plant. And where tequila and mezcal draw their battle lines: All Tequila Is Mezcal.)
So next time you raise a glass, look beyond the famous labels. Find a Bacanora or a Raicilla, and taste what Mexico kept hidden.
Every great spirit has a story. Join the Around The Glass Society and get the next one in your inbox.
Every great spirit rewards curious tasting — my [How to Taste Whisky] method works beautifully for aged agave too. And join the Society for agave deep-dives coming soon.
