Ilegal Mezcal is a mezcal brand, established in 2006 in Antigua, Guatemala. ^{[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]} The mezcal is distilled twice and created using Espadín agave. ^[6] The brand is also known for its namesake cocktail, the " Ilegal." ^{[7] [8] [9]}

The company originally began in 2004 as an operation to import mezcal from Oaxaca, Mexico across the border into Guatemala. ^[10] By 2006, the company established a formal brand, marketing itself as "Ilegal." ^[11] In 2010, the company signed a United States distribution contract. ^[12] In 2017, multinational spirits company Bacardi acquired a minority stake in the business, ^[13] with the intention of establishing national distribution. ^[14]

By 2020, the mezcal producer crossed the industry standard threshold of 40,000 cases to be considered a craft distillery as defined by the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (DISCUS), and was similarly officially certified by Mexico's National "Consejo Regulador del Mezcal" (CRM) ("Mezcal Regulatory Council"). ^[15] In 2022, the company sold ~174,000 cases, representing a 37.4% market share by case volume and the highest market share for any mezcal brand in the United States, per research completed by Shanken's Impact Databank. ^{[16] [17]}

In 2023, Bacardi publicly announced that it had reached an agreement to acquire Ilegal. ^{[18] [19]}

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