There's a world of Mexican agave spirits beyond mezcal. It's time you met them.

The specific plants and production methods used to create heritage Mexican spirits -- including, from left, sotol, bacanora, mezcal and "destilado de agave" -- will tell you more about their flavors than the broader category names. (Scott Suchman/For The Washington Post; food styling by Lisa Cherkasky) With a layer of chips and salsa providing a landing strip, I'm tasting a flight of agave spirits at El Chucho in D.C. The last is a raicilla with a pungent nose and a fruity, funky flavor. Something like ... a guava and cheese danish? It's nothing like the bell pepper notes I love in my favorite tequila. I can't imagine burying it in a margarita, in which its idiosyncratic qualities would be obscured by lime and triple sec.