When most people think of agave spirits, they typically assume Tequila and Mezcal are the only spirits in this category. While Tequila and Mezcal are the most popular agave spirits consumed in the United States, there are many other types of agave spirits to explore, such as Bacanora, Raicilla, and the emerging category of California Agave Spirits. While the former are grown and distilled in Mexico, California Agave Spirits are grown and produced in California, as the name suggests. Groups like the California Agave Council have been working hard for the past few years to support the growers and distillers pioneering this new spirit. With the Council's sponsorship, California passed legislation in 2022 regarding the labeling and requirements for California Agave Spirits (AB 2303). With this legislation signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom, a statewide standard has been legally set to define products labeled as California Agave Spirits. To comply with this legislation, California Agave Spirits must be made entirely with agaves grown within the state of California and contain no flavoring or coloring additives. Compared to Tequila, which has some tolerance for additives, this legislation was crafted to ensure California Agave Spirits are of the highest quality.

California Agave Spirits are quite different from Tequila. First and foremost, Tequila must be made in specific regions in Mexico, including Jalisco, Michoacán, Guanajuato, Nayarit, and Tamaulipas. On the other hand, California Agave Spirits can only be made in California. A second difference is in the additives allowed in the spirit. California Agave Spirits allow for no additives, whereas Tequila can have less than 1% of permitted additives, such as oak extract, glycerin, sugar syrup, or caramel coloring. While 1% doesn't sound like a lot, additives can be highly concentrated and have a significant impact on the spirit, despite their volume. Lastly, and probably the largest difference, is in the type of agave species used. Tequila dictates that only one type of agave can be used: Blue Weber Agave. California Agave Spirits, however, have no limits on the types of agaves used, as long as they are grown entirely in California. This makes California Agave Spirits more similar to Mezcal, which is also made from a variety of agave species.

California Agave Spirits offer a wide range of flavors and aromas. It's difficult to say what this spirit tastes like because no two California Agave Spirits taste the same. California Agave Spirits can use a wide variety of Agave types, which increases the variance in flavors compared to Tequila, which is only allowed to be made from Blue Weber Agave. Some flavors that have been recognized in California agave spirits include agave, black and white pepper, smoke, vegetal, floral, fruit, earthy, mineral, and herbal flavors. Due to how new this category of Agave Spirits is, it will be interesting to see how distillers will continue to develop these flavors over time. It will also be interesting to see how the Terroir of California, and the different regions will impact the flavors produced.

Since California Agave Spirits don't have limitations on what type of Agaves are used, California growers and distillers have been experimenting with many different types of Agaves. These include those native to California, alongside other Agaves that are more prominent in Mexico. A few of the Agaves used in past California Agave Spirits include:

• Agave Americana
• Agave Potatorum (Tobala)
• Agave Salmiana
• Agave Parryi
• Agave Tequiliana (Blue Weber)

So far a few Distillers have successfully produced California Agave Spirits. These include:

• Ventura Spirits released YOLO back in April 2021. This 42.5% ABV spirit was made from Agave Tequiliana from Yolo County, and was steamed in stainless steel. Recently in December 2024 they also released Tecolotito, using Agave Tequilana from Goleta California. Tecolotito comes in both Blanco and Reposado varieties and is also bottled at 42.5% ABV.
• Jano Spirits came out with their "California Agave Spirit" in August of 2022. Their 47% ABV spirit used Agave Americana from Yolo County, and was cooked in a wood-fired stone pit.
• Venus Spirits produced "El Ladron-Yolo" in 2023, featuring Agave Tequiliana from Yolo County. This 42% ABV spirit was cooked in a wood-fired stone pit. Sean Venus was kind enough to share that this was technically twice roasted, due to flooding of the pit!
• Shelter Distilling has had success with their "Rancho del Sol" California Agave Spirit, which has had releases in 2023 and 2024. This 47% ABV spirit uses six different types of Agaves from Santa Barbara County and steams them in stainless steel. The Agave varieties used include: Agave Desmettiana, Agave Americana, Agave Mapisaga var. Lise, Agave Tequilana, Agave Salmiana, and Agave Tobalá. Also, as of August 7th 2024 Shelter distilling has released their very limited batch of California Agave Los Hijelos, which was made from mature Agave Tequilana that was grown near Carpinteria California. This spirit is 47% ABV, and has notes of piloncillo, pineapple, ripe berries, and subtle mint.
• Don Manny Recently released his first batches of Destilado de Agaves, which come in Blanco, Reposado, and Añejo varieties. Each comes in at 40% ABV, and uses only Blue Weber Agave Tequiliana from Orange County California. The outcome of this Agave Spirit is more reminiscent of Raicilla, which Don Manny's Grandfather used to make in Jalisco.

With the widespread success and pride of products like Mezcal and Tequila, you might be wondering, why are they making Agave Spirits in California? With the changing climate and water situation in California, many farmers have been searching for alternative crops that consume less water than products like grapes, almonds, and pistachios. Being a desert plant that uses Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, Agaves are a great low water crop that are adapted to dry desert conditions. Additionally, the global demand for Tequila and Mezcal is not something to be ignored. In California and throughout the United States, the popularity of Agave Spirits is only increasing, and this is changing the market for Agave. While the market can fluctuate, the supply of Agaves from Mexico has become strained in some years, and too often younger and younger agaves are being harvested to make up for the lack of mature agave supply. This has created an opportunity for states like California to try and capture some of this market with their own spirits.

Two great resources to learn more about California Agave Spirits include the California Agave Council's website, and also the California Agave site provided by UC Davis.