Elon Musk has been a presence in our lives for a long time now, and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to change any time soon. Whether it’s starting Tesla, venturing SpaceX, turning Twitter into X, and now running the Department of Government Efficiency under the incoming Trump administration, the CEO has a hand in things that affect your life, directly or indirectly. And like any other celebrity, he has gotten into the booze game, even if it’s a vague affiliation—Tesla just released a new mezcal priced at a cool $450, and we got to sample this curiosity.
The marque’s first agave spirit was a tequila that launched in 2020, a $250 bottle produced by tequila and mezcal brand Nosotros and sold by Speakeasy Co., followed by another tequila marked to an astounding $1,000 per bottle. This new mezcal was also produced in partnership with Nosotros, the second run of limited-edition mezcal that now has spirits e-commerce site and subscription service Flaviar onboard as “tech, online marketing, and fulfillment partner.” The first release came out last June and sold out pretty quickly, and this expensive bottle is also being released in pretty limited numbers.
“At Flaviar, we’re inspired by the ecosystem Tesla has created through its groundbreaking innovations and are proud to be the trusted technology and fulfillment partner for Tesla Mezcal,” said Josh Jacobs, the brand’s SVP of strategic partnerships. “As with Tesla Tequila and Beer before, we have seen the first batch of Tesla Mezcal fly off the shelves in June, and we are positive this holiday restock will be no exception.” Tesla’s director of product design Javier Verdura thought up the black lightning bolt–shaped bottle; he says he was inspired by his Mexican roots. To be fair, it really looks more just like a Tesla design than anything that has to do with Mexican culture, and it sits in a holder to keep it upright but is a bit unwieldy to pour.
Tesla Mezcal is an ensemble expression made from Espadín and Bicuishe agave varietals. According to the brand, the agave is milled using a tahona wheel, a traditional volcanic stone that crushes the pinas, and it is distilled in alembic stills before being bottled at 86 proof. This is an assertive mezcal, with a strong smokiness throughout every sip. There are notes of raisin, pineapple, overripe lime, and some under-ripe stone fruit on the palate, along with equal parts mineral and floral flavors. This is not some watered down version of one of Mexico’s most beloved agave spirits categories, but it still begs some questions.
As Javier Cabral pointed out on the website L.A. Taco last week, the world’s richest man selling mezcal feels like exploitation and appropriation taken to a new level, even in an agave-spirits industry in which that is rampant. And it’s not that Tesla Mezcal is actually bad as far as quality or flavor—in fact, Nosotros is a well-regarded brand, although it is made at a distillery that produces many, many others. If you’d like to give this status-symbol mezcal a try to see what you think, you can purchase a bottle now from the Tesla Mezcal website.
