About Erstwhile Mezcal

Whether you’re a first-time mezcal drinker, cocktail enthusiast, or a serious collector of the smoky spirit, Erstwhile Mezcal has a bottle that will demystify mezcal and please your palate. Since 2017, Erstwhile has been on a mission to connect drinkers with extraordinary spirits from small, family-run producers for the first time.

Co-founders, and best friends, Yuan Ji and Kevin J. Brown began their mission after a trip to Oaxaca where they went from clueless consumers to mezcal evangelists. The pair learned all about the agave spirit in the best possible setting: from small producers in their homes and distilleries. But when they returned to Brooklyn, they couldn’t find mezcal from any independent distillers.

Erstwhile Mezcal set out to partner with those small, independent, family-operated distilleries. The women-owned, women-led business helps craft producers who want to export their mezcal, but might not have the means to do so. Empowering and elevating underrepresented voices in the mezcal community, and larger spirits industry, is at the core of everything Erstwhile does.