Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/711402
42 / the tasting panel / august 2016 MEZCAL REPORT Richard Betts, MS, found a pas- sion for mezcal while traveling around Mexico and sees it "as an important and historic expression of the history of the people of Mexico. The spirit embodies so many things including farming, the site, spe- cies of agave, the type of wood used in the roast, the hand of the maker and beyond." MASTER SOMMELIER RICHARD BETTS DEFINES HIS SOMBRA BRAND AS A COMPLEX SPIRIT THAT CONNECTS TO PEOPLE, PLACES AND GEOGRAPHY by Bob Bath, MS / photos by Jennifer Olson Mastering the Art of Mezcal A fter starting two wine brands, Richard Betts, MS, decided to travel South of the Border to better under- stand the world of tequila, but found a passion for mezcal and its terroir along the way. Betts explains, "I was growing up in Tucson and spending every weekend in Sonora, where [agave-derived spirit] bacanora was the drink. From there, tequila was a staple through