Mezcal Educational Tours
Mezcal Educational Tours
5
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Full view
About
Mezcal Educational Excursions of Oaxaca offers spirits aficionados, novices & industry professionals 1 - 3 day mezcal tours in Oaxaca's central valleys and beyond. Learn about agave / maguey, photograph, sample, buy. We visit small, family operated distilleries (palenques) using clay pot production & traditional copper stills (alembics). You'll finish the day also understanding the families' cultures. Inquire regarding our expertise, testimonials, cost, etc. Ask about group tour packages for not only about mezcal and pulque, but also delving into Oaxacan cuisine and craft beer pairing. Considering a business plan exporting mezcal with your own label, or opening a bar or restaurant with a healthy complement of mezcal, or a mezcaleria? We are also consultants in this respect. Or, if you are a photographer or documentary film maker, we have assisted this type of professional on many occasions over the past decade. Mezcal is a full time passion, but a part-time vocation; so inquire early.
Oaxaca, Oaxaca, Mexico
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
790 reviews
Excellent
780
Very good
6
Average
2
Poor
0
Terrible
2
Schrodingers_Cat
Boston69 contributions
Jan 2025 • Couples
As the street art in Oaxaca says, "Mezcal is culture, not a commodity."
If you hear "Mezcal tour" and think "ride around the countryside with a busload of idiots getting blasted on booze," you couldn't be further from the truth. This tour is a serious, deep dive into an important topic. It's also fun.
Randall Stockton is a living, breathing encyclopedia of mezcal, and you will learn as much as you like about the cultivation of agave, its production into mezcal, the people who make it, and the importance and centrality of mezcal to Oaxacan culture. You'll sample a huge variety of mezcals and begin to learn to identify the different agaves by their taste. You'll see every stage of the production. You'll meet the people who create this beverage. You'll come home with some excellent product at great prices. Randall was personable, willing to engage every question we asked and every tangent we wanted to follow, whether about the regional ecosystem, the chemistry of distillation, the economics of mezcal production, or the lives and times of the people who grow the agave and make the mezcal. It's obvious that he has taken the time to develop real relationships with the mezcal producers you'll visit, and his deep respect for them is clear. I very much enjoyed this day and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn something.
If you hear "Mezcal tour" and think "ride around the countryside with a busload of idiots getting blasted on booze," you couldn't be further from the truth. This tour is a serious, deep dive into an important topic. It's also fun.
Randall Stockton is a living, breathing encyclopedia of mezcal, and you will learn as much as you like about the cultivation of agave, its production into mezcal, the people who make it, and the importance and centrality of mezcal to Oaxacan culture. You'll sample a huge variety of mezcals and begin to learn to identify the different agaves by their taste. You'll see every stage of the production. You'll meet the people who create this beverage. You'll come home with some excellent product at great prices. Randall was personable, willing to engage every question we asked and every tangent we wanted to follow, whether about the regional ecosystem, the chemistry of distillation, the economics of mezcal production, or the lives and times of the people who grow the agave and make the mezcal. It's obvious that he has taken the time to develop real relationships with the mezcal producers you'll visit, and his deep respect for them is clear. I very much enjoyed this day and would highly recommend it to anyone looking to learn something.
Written January 22, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Matthew K
7 contributions
Oct 2024 • Friends
I am 100% satisfied with the tour. Alvin is a wealth of knowledge and really tailored the trip towards our booze nerd wishes. This is not a cookie cutter, typical tourist type experience. The mezcal tasted was craft presented, unadulterated/not dumbed down, diverse, and complex. Alvin made sure we understood why this was and it the stories of those that created these products (which were equally impressive). If you want to taste the real deal, from real people focused on quality and tradition I would recommend Mezcal Educational Tours.
Written November 10, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A_Dad_in_Training
Fresno, CA40 contributions
Jun 2024 • Friends
I spent two days with Alvin visiting families involved in all stages and variety of mezcal production. Not only did we taste over 75 different mezcal’s but they were all unique and different. We were able to purchase amazing bottles at wonderful prices and Alvin was more than willing to assist with getting it home if necessary but it was smooth sailing with over 14 liters between two checked bags. Aside from the mezcal Alvin has created a lasting bond and relationship with the families you visit and their hospitality is genuine and deep. Our trip to Oaxaca was based around the two days we spent with Alvin and it was the highlight of our trip. I highly recommend you reach out early so you can lock in one of these amazing and unforgettable experiences.
Written July 3, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holden B
2 contributions
Oct 2024 • Friends
Randall was a fully phenomenal tour guide. He took us to an expert selection of three distillers chosen to compliment and contrast each other, each that he has personal relationships with. It felt like we were visiting old, good friends every time.
He also made the entire experience incredibly educational and fun, between going down conversational rabbit holes on mezcal chemistry when we asked, to pop quizzing us on mezcal tastings he pulled out of nowhere, to laughing and joking with the group. We learned so much, and walked away with a deep appreciation for mezcal. We also tried over 60 different mezcals, so if you want sheer variety and bang for buck, this is the best we found after a ton of searching.
Ask specifically for Randall. He gets the highest possible praise, and made our trip to Oaxaca feel very special!
He also made the entire experience incredibly educational and fun, between going down conversational rabbit holes on mezcal chemistry when we asked, to pop quizzing us on mezcal tastings he pulled out of nowhere, to laughing and joking with the group. We learned so much, and walked away with a deep appreciation for mezcal. We also tried over 60 different mezcals, so if you want sheer variety and bang for buck, this is the best we found after a ton of searching.
Ask specifically for Randall. He gets the highest possible praise, and made our trip to Oaxaca feel very special!
Written November 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for your kind words. We (Alvin and Randall) each do our best by custom designing mezcal experiences to meet and exceed the expectations of our clients, working with both novices to the spirit, and those with a lot of prior knowledge, and everyone in between. Over the years we have developed healthy personal relationships with the distillers and their families, which in the end results in our clients feeling extremely comfortable visiting the palenques (distilleries) and homes of the producers we visit with them. Sampling the agave distillate is merely a part of the experience. In addition, we teach about all aspects of every state of production, through visiting palenques which distill in both clay pots (ancestral) and copper stills (artesanal). For those who want an even deeper dive into mezcal production, on a subsequent day we can explore the use of what is known as a refrescadera. But a single day typically provides all that is needed to leave our clients with a high level of expertise, something that reading in books and watching youtube videos just can't do. One must meet the families, get smoke in your eyes, sample the sweet baked agave, as well as the fermenting product, and taste the mezcal literally as it drips out of the still. Only then does one obtain a true understanding about mezcal.
Written November 20, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
mrgnfld
8 contributions
Sep 2024 • Solo
I went on a 8 day group tour of Oaxaca and arrived a day early to take the Mezcal tour with Alvin Starkman. This tour was the highlight of my entire trip. Alvin is not only highly knowledgeable about the production of Mezcal, he is well respected by the locals and we were welcomed into every farm that we visited. I was a bit nervous traveling as a solo woman on this tour, but Alvin quickly made me feel comfortable. I highly recommend taking the opportunity to tour with Alvin. This is the real deal! I say this because during my 8 day tour, they took us to a, what I would call a Hershey's quick tour of a touristy distillery on the "main street". Alvin's tour takes you to the, what I call authentic, small batch, artisanal farms clay pot farms.
Written October 4, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the kind words. Yes, I vividly recall this client, and in fact she told me she was concerned about as a solo traveler going on a private tour with me. But all worked out very well, and I was able to make her feel extremely comfortable from the outset. She had in the booking process told me that she would be amenable to having one or two others come along, and so as it turned out we had another woman come along with us, and the two of them hit it off fabulously. As for the touring day itself, we visited both copper still distilleries, and the more ancestral clay pot palenques (as they're commonly known as here in Oaxaca). We also had a chance to go into the home of one of the distillers, so the two women had an opportunity to learn about culture and lifestyle of the families.
Written October 5, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
John A M
2 contributions
Feb 2025 • Family
My wife and I went to Oaxaca for the first time this February to see and experience Oaxacan food, art, culture, and mezcal as I am a big mezcal fan. As part of our trip, I wanted to book a palenque tour to see and experience mezcal production firsthand. It was tough trying to choose the right guide as there numerous, highly recommended individuals.
We chose Mezcal Educational Tours and we don't regret it. Alvin was prompt, clear, and detailed in his communications re his tours, what to expect, and what was needed to have the best experience.
During the tour, Alvin's knowledge of mezcal, production methods, and local producers was encyclopedic. He knew and was friends with everyone!
I also have to give Alvin a huge thank you for his help with getting my phone back after I left it at a palenque. He went above and beyond to do that for me.
Thank you Alvin for a great experience.
We chose Mezcal Educational Tours and we don't regret it. Alvin was prompt, clear, and detailed in his communications re his tours, what to expect, and what was needed to have the best experience.
During the tour, Alvin's knowledge of mezcal, production methods, and local producers was encyclopedic. He knew and was friends with everyone!
I also have to give Alvin a huge thank you for his help with getting my phone back after I left it at a palenque. He went above and beyond to do that for me.
Thank you Alvin for a great experience.
Written March 9, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the kind words, and to those who have previously lauded what we try to do on our mezcal educational excursions of Oaxaca. While yes there are numerous recommended individuals, I imagine (I have never checked online), it might be appropriate to consider; does the guide give back to the community, for how many years has he/she been leading mezcal tours, what's the motivation for leading a mezcal tour, how quickly and substantively has the communication with the prospective guide responded to your email inquiries, will there be others along on the tour, to what extent will the day be customized to meet specific goals and wishes, etc.
Written March 11, 2025
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Anna R
12 contributions
Sep 2024 • Couples
We absolutely loved the private mezcal tour we went on with Alvin - it was a highlight of our trip! We had never done a mezcal tour and were definitely novices going into the tour. In the end, we were able to identify our favorite agave varietals and spot some of the more subtle differences. Overall, we got to visit 4 different palenques, taste real pulque, and interact with the mezcaleros directly. We loved learning about mezcal, its production, and enjoyed getting out of Oaxaca for the day for this unique experience. Alvin is extremely knowledgeable and knows the community very well. This is not a small tasting - we got to taste a wide variety of mezcals at every stop. Even our lunch spot was distilling mezcal while we were there! We also had no problems getting our mezcal back to the US from Oaxaca. Highly, highly recommend!
Written September 25, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anne F
Santa Fe, NM66 contributions
Mar 2025 • Couples
Our tour with Alvin was one of the best we’ve taken in many years of traveling! His deep knowledge of mezcal production, his friendships with the families making mezcal, and his organizational skills made it a full, fun day. We visited 4 small-scale palenques (distilleries) and each one was different. We learned about, and saw, all the steps in fermentation and production, which was very interesting. We tasted over 50 mezcals (small sips!) and were able to purchase bottles of the ones we liked. This tour is highly recommended!
Written March 11, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the kind words, and equally to those who have previously praised what we do on our Oaxaca mezcal tours. Just a brief word about sampling is in order. Yes, you can sample indeed over 50 different mezcales in the course of a touring day, but please be aware of your degree of inebriation as the day progresses. I try to never restrain my clients, and you are able to drink as much or as little as you want, but try to be cognizant of your own capacity. Most of the mezcales are about 50% alcohol by volume, and it does add up. On the other hand, you are certainly not obliged to sample everything. Occasionally a client lets me know early on, but tells me he/she does want to sample a few, and relies on me to guide them to what I think they will enjoy.
Written March 13, 2025
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
beverly c
1 contribution
Feb 2025 • Family
One of the highlights of our trip to Oaxaca was taking one of Alvin’s incredibly interesting and informative mezcal tours. His wealth of knowledge about all things mezcal is hugely impressive, as is his close and respectful relationship with the local Mezcal distillers of Oaxaca. You will come away with an appreciation for the beautiful blue agave dotting the countryside and a greater understanding of the complexity in producing ancestral and artisanal mezcal and the skilled craftsmanship and traditional laborious production methods that have been used for centuries, handed down generation by generation. You may also, if you desire, come away with a few bottles of this small-production smoky, combination-of-subtle-flavours ancestral drink. A real glimpse into the history and culture of this area and a chance to personally meet the distillers. Not to mention that amazing lunch we had at one of our stops. One of the best meals on our trip! Best tour!
Written March 6, 2025
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the so very kind words. Two points of clarification are in order. Firstly, I assume the words "blue agave" are used in a generic sense because of the blue-green color of the several fields we passed by. That species is not Agave tequilana (weber) predominantly used to make tequila and often referred to as blue agave, but rather it is Agave angustifolia HAW, typically called espadín, the most common species used here in Oaxaxa to make mezcal. Secondly, most of my clients are indeed surprised that not all mezcales are smokey. In fact several years ago I authored a mezcal tasting wheel with over 200 different nuances noted, yes some of which falling into the smokey category, but most being one or more of floral, fruity, earthy, charamelized, herbatious, woody, chemical, microbiological, and so on. In the course of a day sampling roughly 50 different mezcales (at one's option of course), many notes within the foregoing categories can be both detected and predominate. It's quite an amazing distillate.
Written March 8, 2025
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Kelli S
3 contributions
Sep 2024 • Solo
Alvin is the consummant guide and educator! I had a lovely day; learned about mezcal from the ground up, became immersed in the stories of the palenques, and of course enjoyed trying a variety of mezcal. Alvin is kind, has a thoughtful and immersive tour planned, and I cannot recommend his services enough!
Thank you Alvin! I am glad to know there is someone like you providing this necessary and wonderful service to tourists and villages alike.
Thank you Alvin! I am glad to know there is someone like you providing this necessary and wonderful service to tourists and villages alike.
Written September 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thanks for the kind words and again to those who have previously lauded what we try to accomplish on our mezcal educational excursions here in the state of Oaxaca. Each distiller's story is different from the next, and worthy of telling. I explain what I can in the course of a day, while we are driving from one palenque to the next, visiting a variety of unique villages. The number of years I have known the palenqueros (distillers) ranges from as many as two decades (and in one case three), to as few as five years. I believe that our small company was the first in the state of Oaxaca to offer full day mezcal tours, and I personally began meeting the palenqueros and their families in the early 90s. Back then the "mezcal boom" had not yet begun, and here we are today in the midst of a mezcal tourism phenomenon.
Written September 28, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Están dando tours de mezcal?
Written September 7, 2020
I couldn’t find the price of the tours per person in Mexican pesos
And what would be the tour to take for a great experience. Thank you!
Would they pick you up at the hotel?
Written January 18, 2020
It's always best to email your request for information since we send all prospective clients a lengthy attachment which answers all the questions (i.e. price, itineraries, testimonials, qualifications, etc.). We typically reply within 12 hours but never while out on a tour since we give our clients 100% of our attention while out with them. Thanks for inquiring.
Written January 19, 2020
Where do the single day tours start from? We will be staying at the Secrets Huatalco.
Written April 16, 2019
They start and end in the city of Oaxaca.
Written April 16, 2019
We visit several distilleries (ancestral and artisanal) or palenques, not mezcalerías (retail outlets in the city). We have several different routes depending on what the client wants.
Written December 3, 2018
I would like to know how to get in touch with the tour so that I can plan a day with them.
Written February 17, 2018
mezcaleducationaltours@hotmail [com]
Written February 18, 2018
hanniakarel
Ensenada, Mexico
que tan lejos rsta del crntro de Oaxaca..?????
gracias
Written February 14, 2017
Buen día, estoy organizando un viaje al sur de México la primera semana de agosto. Quisiera saber qué opciones ofrecen de tour de mezcal y su costo??
Gracias y espero su respuesta.
Written March 12, 2015
Hi, Myself and my girlfriend will be in Oaxaca from the 12th April to the 15th and would love to take a tour with you. So would like to know if you're free on the 13th and 14th and how much your rates are?
We tried to email you direct but sadly the email got returned undelivered.
Regards
Ricky
Written January 27, 2015
Hi, Myself and my girlfriend will be in Oaxaca from the 12th April to the 15th and would love to take a tour with you. So would like to know if you're free on the 13th and 14th and how much your rates are?
We tried to email you direct but sadly the email got returned undelivered.
Regards
Ricky
Written January 27, 2015
You'll have to speak to Alvin directly to see his schedule. What I can tell you is that it was a pretty amazing tour. Alvin is totally connected and you'll get access to the best local mezcal from artisanal families who have been distilling for years. You'll get to see the process and taste a bunch of different mezcals, each having a different flavor profile because of the earth, soil, rain conditions, pollen, fermentation etc. Alvin is a great guide. Send him a few more emails and I'm sure he'll respond. I don't know the customs rules for the UK but since you're buying liters for about $12-15 US, bring an extra suitcase. Alvin will bottle what you buy in 750mil bottles for you to bring back. It was one of the highlights of our trip.
Written January 28, 2015
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.