New World agave spirits are a growing trend that is following in the wake of the popularity of tequila and mezcal. These are agave distillate products being made outside of Mexico in places like India, Italy and even Scotland. 

Yes, you read that right. Even in Scotland. The Dark Art Distillery based in Kirkcudbright has the distinction of introducing the first Scottish agave spirit to the world. Meet Véspero.

A cross cultural story 

Véspero is the brainchild of the founder of the distillery Andrew Clark Hutchison. It was inspired by his family’s history in Mexico. Hutchison and his brother were born in Mexico City, as their parents lived there in the late 1950s to 1967. Hutchison went on to found Dark Art Distillery in 2021 and create award-winning gins and vodka. But there were always plans to create something that celebrated the Mexican chapter of his life.

Working with master distiller Gerard Macluskey, Hutchison worked on producing an agave spirit that was a nod to his heritage while being respectful of Mexican traditions. Speaking to The Agaveist about the early days, Hutchison admitted there were few iterations before getting to the final concept. For example, an early concept involved the bottles featuring classical Mexican imagery that just didn’t feel right for what the brand should be.

Hutchison spent many hours researching and looking for a name that would define the brand. This led him to read his dad’s travel journals of Mexico and though he didn’t find a name, Hutchison found a deeper connection to his father.

Eventually, Hutchison settled on the name Véspero, which means the planet Venus in its evening star phase in Spanish. To confirm this was correct, Hutchison spoke to his Spanish sister in law, who at first believed that wasn’t right. Yet after researching the word further at a library in Madrid, she realised Véspero did indeed mean Venus as the evening star and that astrologists tended to use that phrase.

Born in Mexico, Distilled in Scotland 

Véspero naturally fitted with the night sky theme of the distillery and informed how the labels of the product range were designed. The logo is an astral pattern called the five petals of Venus which follows the trajectory of Venus moving around the sun every eight years. After eight years, it returns to the same place in our sky on about the same date. This cycle of Venus was known to and of great interest to ancient civilisations such as the Maya.

Véspero reposado. Image credit: Dark Art Distillery.

There are two Véspero products. One is a 40% ABV blanco made from 100% Blue Weber agave, yeast and water that follows a double distillation process and doesn’t have any additives, added sugar or corn syrup. There is also a 54% ABV reposado that has been rested in red wine casks for added complexity. Both are positioned as premium sipping spirits, with the former being viewed as tequila-like and the latter also suiting the tastes of whisky drinkers. Both are also award-winning. The blanco won a silver medal at the New York International Spirits Competition in 2024 and won the International Spirits Challenge 2025. The reposado won gold at the International Spirits Challenge 2025 in the premium category.

Hutchison told The Agaveist that the growing trend of New World agave spirits is promising and that the Véspero range will always be made with the honouring of tradition in mind:

“If it’s being made with respect to quality, respect to the inspiration, and as a premium product, why not? The sector itself is fast growing. I can fully appreciate why the tequila companies want to protect it. But because the category grows and gets interest around the world, there will be distilleries from other parts of the world that come up with products that necessarily aren’t tequila, but they’re agave. If they’re made with respect to the inspiration and are premium products then that can only be a good thing I think.

We’ve got an advantage in Scotland and I think there’s a certain generic reputation with Scottish distilleries that’s been built up over centuries that lends to the perception of alcoholic products being made to a high standard and we’ve got to make sure we protect that reputation.”

He also acknowledges that not being able to call Véspero tequila has provided a communication barrier but there is still plenty of opportunity for innovation:

“I’d love it if we could call it tequila. A lot of those barriers of education and communication would disappear. But then we wouldn’t be the first distillery to create an agave spirit in Scotland and we’re not bound by the rules and restrictions that come with the label of tequila.”