Nick Gillett: Why mezcal could cure the ‘tequila timebomb’

If you’re an avid agave fan or have been subject to any of my previous tequila musings of the last few years, you might have heard the phrase – ‘the tequila timebomb’. For a few years now, the boom in tequila’s popularity has been well documented, as have the numerous voices warning that, to keep up with this demand, producers are irresponsibly damaging Mexico’s agricultural and civil landscapes. In 2022, my article on the subject talked about monocropping practices of enormous agave cultivations, cloned plants, and the dangerous effect these were having on biodiversity, agriculture, and even water availability for local communities. So, 18 months later, have we managed to dispose of the tequila timebomb?