To the relief of mescal connoisseurs, the government in Mexico has rescinded its effort to cleanse the popular liquor of its taste-producing worm.

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The government wanted to ban the blue agave worm, found at the bottom of mescal bottles, saying it is high in fat, the Cox News Service reported.

Mescal producers cited studies indicating the worm posed no health risks.

"It would have been devastating," said New York-born Douglas French, who exports Oaxacan mescal -- with a scorpion instead of a worm -- to the United States.

"It's an old beverage for Mexico, but it's new for the world and its trademark is the worm," he said.

French estimated sales of mescal exports would have plunged without the worm, perhaps as much as 70 percent.