Taberna

What is a taberna? In the state of Jalisco, a taberna is a distillery that produces raicilla or other mezcal. The word is used by producers of both types of raicilla: de la sierra and de la costa, and by taberneros, such as Chacolo, who produce mezcal in southern Jalisco, outside the denomination of origin for raicilla. A producer who works in a taberna may be called a tabernero or, in the case of raicilla, a raicillero. (Raicilla producers go by both names.)

If you’ve visited a palenque in Oaxaca, a taberna might look familiar, although the modes of production will differ. Traditional tabernas are rustic and utilitarian. On the coast, a raicilla taberna is often an open-air distillery that houses fermentation tanks, or tinas, and wood-fired Filipino stills, which are carved from tree trunks. Outside you’lll see a pit where agave is roasted and a canoa, where it is then pounded to shreds before fermentation. In the mountains, a taberna might have alembic stills, a canoa, and round or oblong above-ground ovens.

Although the term once described a place where vino de mezcal de tequila was produced, it is no longer in use in the tequila industry.

For more on how raicilla and mezcal is made in tabernas, check out our profile of Chacolo, What is raicilla?, or our story on Eterno Embrujo, which includes a visit to the taberna of the legendary Don Japo Joya.