Press and Media

ReserveBar shares a recipe linked here for the perfectly balanced mezcal cocktail with fresh pineapple, chamomile, citrus, and pink peppercorn from Erstwhile Mezcal.

Learn how to pair chocolate with mezcal like a pro. Kim Haasarud of Garden Bar PHX, Abel Arriaga of Compa Spirits, and Michelle Zimmerman of Curating Taste present six amazing agave + cacao pairings in this article for The SOMM Journal, including Erstwhile Tobalá (2021 Ancestral Limited Edition) – one of Kim’s favorites!

Erstwhile wins BEST IN CLASS in the Agave Spirits category at the Craft Spirits Berlin Awards 2023, Europe’s largest competition dedicated to handcrafted spirits.  Congratulations to Erstwhile partner producers Epifania Gómez and Silverio García for winning the gold medal with their Espadin mezcal and silver with Madrecuishe (2021 Ancestral Limited Edition); and to Mario Lucas García and his family for taking home the silver medal with their Cucharillo (2021 Limited Edition)!

Interested in starting your own entrepreneurial journey in food and beverage but unsure what to expect? Then read up on Go Solo Magazine’s interview with Yuan Ji, Founder of Erstwhile Mezcal.

In this episode of Inner Wealth podcast, Nicole Cacal (Founder of Forbes Ignite) speaks with Yuan Ji (Founder of Erstwhile Mezcal) about applying her legal expertise to advocacy efforts on behalf of independent mezcal producers in Mexico, serving others through your business, and the iterative process of uncovering your company’s mission.

Drizly, North America’s largest e-commerce alcohol marketplace, spotlights Erstwhile Mezcal as one of the most popular AAPI-owned brands in this article for BevAlc Insights. Sales of AAPI-owned brands across Drizly have grown by 60 percent from 2020 to 2022 – reinforcing the growing importance of diversity and brands’ core values in the alcohol space.

Arizona Daily Star spotlights Erstwhile Mezcal’s participation in the “Ignite Agave: Women of Mezcal” panel, which explores women’s role in mezcal – from the craft distillers to those reshaping the industry – as part of the 2022 Agave Heritage Festival in Tucson, Arizona.

In this Flaviar article spotlighting a new Mexican spirit called Cucharillo, Max Garrone (co-founder of Mezcalistas) recommends Erstwhile’s Cucharillo (2021 Limited Edition) – crafted by Mario Lucas García and his family from wild Sotol plants growing in their own land in San Isidro Guishe, Oaxaca.

In this episode of Legends Behind the Craft podcast, Drew Hendricks speaks with Erstwhile founder Yuan Ji about the importance of authenticity in building a brand, preservation of family traditions in mezcal production, and digital marketing to bring awareness to small family-owned mezcal producers.  In this bonus Special Tasting Series episode, Drew and Yuan sit down for a mezcal tasting, tell the story of Erstwhile’s logo design, and sample Erstwhile’s Bacon Pechuga Mezcal – an all-women collaboration.

Tashi Johns at France 44 – one of the best wine & spirits purveyors in Minnesota – highlights Erstwhile Mezcal and our women partner producers in this guide on how consumers can support sustainability and reduce negative environmental impact when shopping for mezcal, gin, bourbon, scotch, whiskey, and more.

Wine Enthusiast magazine’s “Top 100 Spirits” list spotlights Erstwhile’s Espadín mezcal, produced by Silverio García and Epifania Gómez in Rancho Blanco Güilá, Oaxaca.

Dustin Nelson’s article for Thrillist spotlights a Virtual Mezcal Tasting featuring Erstwhile Mezcal, hosted by The Crafty Cask’s Suzanne Henricksen and Sommelier Evan Rothrock.

Forbes‘ Comprehensive Guide to the Best Mezcals highlights Erstwhile Tobalá (2018 Limited Edition) distilled by the late Juan Hernández Méndez in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca.

PACIFIC magazine spotlights a March 2020 mezcal tasting and fundraiser that Erstwhile Mezcal hosted in conjunction with Tahona Bar in San Diego, California.  All ticket proceeds from the event were donated to S.A.C.R.E.D. (Saving Agave for Culture, Recreation, Education and Development) for their project of replanting tobalá agave seedlings, and gifting seedlings to mezcal producers and farmers in need of agaves.

In her article titled “Mezcal, Mexico’s Misunderstood Spirit”, Kara Newman (Spirits Editor of Wine Enthusiast) shares her praise and tasting notes for Erstwhile’s Espadin mezcal produced by Silverío García and Epifania Gómez in Rancho Blanco Güilá, Oaxaca.

In this article for Rabbit Hole magazine titled “The Mezcal Invasion”, B. Alexandra Szerlip does a deep dive into mezcal’s history and Erstwhile Mezcal’s mission to partner with small, independent family-owned producers and bring their craft to international markets for the first time.

In Episode 104 of The Spirit Guide Society podcast, host Pedro Shanahan samples five expressions of small-batch mezcal from Erstwhile Mezcal’s flagship line at Las Perlas, a legendary mezcaleria in Los Angeles, California.  Pedro also chats with Yuan Ji (founder of Erstwhile Mezcal) about Erstwhile’s social mission of promoting small family producers in rural Mexico, and empowering them to export for the first time.

In this Wine Enthusiast article, Kara Newman (Spirits Editor of Wine Enthusiast) shares her praise and tasting notes for Erstwhile’s Arroqueño mezcal distilled by Hortensia Hernández Martínez & Juan Hernández Méndez in Santiago Matatlán, Oaxaca.

Foodboro, in this article celebrating women entrepreneurs in the food & beverage industries, interviews Yuan Ji (founder of Erstwhile Mezcal) for her outlook and advice for fellow women entrepreneurs in male-dominated industries.

Goodbye Big Law.  Hello Mezcal.  In Episode 46 of Heritage Radio Network’s Why Food? podcast, co-hosts Jenny Dorsey and Ethan Frisch interview Yuan Ji, founder of Erstwhile Mezcal, on her decision to leave a successful legal practice in order to start a company with a mission of connecting small, independent producers in Mexico with global mezcal enthusiasts.