Tequila is an agave-based spirit that must be produced within five specific states in Mexico, solely from blue Weber agave. This agave is harvested after 7-10 years, cleaned of spines, roasted, mashed, fermented, and finally distilled. By contrast, Mezcal is the name for agave-based spirits produced from other types of agave, or from agave grown outside of the approved Tequila zones.