Extreme drought in Mexico threatens mezcal supply, meteorologist warns
Agave Leaves
Tequila
Vegetables
Mexico
Published Mar 24, 2023
Tridge summary
There are fears that recent months of extremely dry conditions in Mexico could significantly reduce agave crop production, resulting in a major mezcal shortage.
Original content
Mezcal, and Tequila in particular, has boomed in recent years, with celebrity-backed brands, such as George Clooney’s Casamigos (now owned by Diageo), proving particularly popular. From January to October last year, Tequila exports reached US$3.6 billion in value, a 34.1% increase on the same period for 2021, and a testament to the growth of this market. The plant from which these spirits are made, agave, is known for its hardiness in harsh conditions, with a UC Davis study published last year suggesting that it has potential in California to be cultivated as a drought-tolerant crop. But, south of the border, recent conditions have been too extreme even for agave, and that could have a knock-on effect on your drinks cabinet. Everstream Analytics chief meteorologist Jon Davis warned of the consequences of Mexico’s recent “extremely dry winter”: “Precipitation totals across much of the country have been less than 25 percent of normal with large sections having totals less than 10 ...
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