When someone asks what the difference is between tequila and mezcal, it’s pretty common to hear this: All tequila is mezcal but not all mezcal is tequila. Hell, we’ve read that in the New York Times, USAToday, the Daily Mail, Business Insider, the Chicago Tribune; seen it on VinePair, Thrillist, Chowhound, and Science 2.0, and we’ve heard it from the leading experts in the mezcal industry. But … they’re all wrong.

In this episode of Agave Road Trip, we explain why no tequila is mezcal, and we speak with Pedro Jimenez of Mezonte about the names of other agave spirits — not just what those names are but what they mean.