Names of Mezcal by Region
MEZCAL is the name given to any beverage obtained by distillation of fermented juices from an agave plant.
Depending on the region, it has been given different names.
In Sonora it is called Bacanora (agave potatorum o yaquiana); in Yucatán, Xtabentun; in Michoacán its name is Charanda (it can be identified by a sugar cane stick inside the bottle). In Chihuahua they call it Sotol, in Chiapas Comiteco, the coast of Jalisco, the Serranías de Los Altos, and west of Michoacán, its name is Raicilla (where its production is almost clandestine and very strong). In Oaxaca and other denomination of Origin regions, it is named Mezcal (Agave Espadín from Oaxaca and others).
The word Mezcal – Mexicalli - derives from the native tongue Náhuatl, which means "Cooked Maguey".