Los Danzantes Mezcal Reposado, 43.2% ABV

Produced by one of Oaxaca’s few female distillers, Karina Abad Rojas, this mezcal’s whisky colour comes from almost a year in new, oak barrels. There’s a hint of scotch once it’s poured out, too; that cask time means a sweet, smooth sip, as the wood’s caramel mingles with clay and smoke from the roasted agave. Available from Amathus, priced £63.70.

Marca Negra, 51.3% ABV

Marca Negra is crafted from espadin grown above 2,000m, for a mezcal full of fruit and fire smoke, served with a pinch of salt. That salinity makes it an easy drinker – perhaps too easy, considering the ABV. You can thank master distiller Abel for that punch; a fan of strong mezcals, he crafted this vivacious batch to serve at his wedding. We’re only too happy to raise a glass. Available from Harvey Nichols, priced £29.75.

Metereo Mezcal, 45% ABV

Master mezcalero Petonilo Rosario Altamirano crafts a single drink: Metereo. It gets its name from the small crater that houses his earth oven, supposedly blasted out by a meteor a century ago. Meteoro is made from espadin – Oaxaca’s most prevalent agave – and is joven, so its smokiness is more akin to chillies and coffee than Scottish peat. Like most mezcals, it’s best drunk straight, but that freshness means it also makes a great cocktail base. Available from 31Dover.com, priced £47.95.

Quiquiriqui Mezcal Matatlan, 45% ABV

Matatlan is a town in the lowlands of central Oaxaca, with a rep as Mexico’s – and by extension, the world’s – mezcal capital. Quiquiriqui’s mezcalero, Zosimo Mendez, comes from prime mezcal stock; his family has made the drink for decades and that experience materialises in a bold and complex spirit, with the earthiness of sea level agave erupting into sweetness and peppery smoke. The best way to convert people who “just hate tequila”. Available from Harvey Nichols, priced £45.