It may be sold to construction firms for adding to bricks or as packing material. This type of tequila can be sold in bulk for shipping out of the country, and can be bottled anywhere, including other countries where the regulations regarding agave content are not necessarily maintained. After fermentation is finished, the must may be left another 12 hours to richen and settle before distillation. It is then distilled twice in traditional copper pot stills called alambiques , or in more modern stainless-steel column stills. The best copper stills are said to come from Tomelloso, in Spain.
Distillation takes four-eight hours.
The second distillation takes 3-4 hours. The middle section is the El corazon , the heart, which is the best part and saved for production. The end is the colos , or tails, which is sometimes recycled into the next distillation to make it more robust, or may also be discarded. Most mezcal is only distilled once, although some premium brands now offer double distillation. A ll tequila is clear right after distillation.