Mezcal Vago – Reviews & FAQ

Mezcal Vago is one of my favorite brands due to the quality of its releases at attractive prices.

In this post I answer all your Vago related questions along reviews and prices of its main releases.

What is Mezcal Vago?

Vago is a mezcal producer from Oaxaca, Mexico known for crafting top quality drams at attractive prices.

This brand was co-founded by Judah Kuper who fell in love with a nurse working in a small rural clinic, who turned out to be the daughter of the legendary mezcal distiller Aquilino García.

Mezcal Vago produces adhering to authentically artisanal methods and is trully committed to the preservation of the agave plant, as it maintains a policy of planting 3 agaves for each one consumed.

The production is in charge of 5 mezcal distillers, each one making mezcal in a different location in Oaxaca and following different production methods:

• Temo and Mateo Garcia (sons of the deceased Aquilino García)
• Joel Barriga
• Emigdio Jarquin
• Salomon “Tio Rey” Rodriguez

Their names appear on each of the bottles they produce.

Mezcal Vago Reviews

Reviews and comments of their major releases:

Vago Elote

Mezcal Vago Elote is one of my favorites and one the most affordable bottles you can buy today.

It was originally crafted by Aquilino García who passed away in 2020 in an unfortunate car accident; his sons Temo and Mateo have taken over production with great acceptance.

What makes Vago Elote unique is that before the third distillation roasted corn is infused making it a very tasty mezcal.

The body offers sweet oaky notes alomg layers of honeycomb, green tropical fruit, and the right amount of smoke.

This is a fantastic pour suitable for people with a bit of experience drinking mezcal. If you are still new to this spirit you might find it harsh hence I suggest you try the Joel Barriga’s Espadin.

Vago Espadin Joel Barriga

Joel Barriga is a cousin of the late Aquilino Garcia. He joined Vago when his cousin could not keep up with the high level of demand.

This mezcal is made with agave espadin, is light and a great sipper despite being 100 proof! it is characterized by a pleasant fruity flavor where the mango notes stand out.

Vago Espadin Joel Barriga is a great option for a newbie looking to join the mezcal bandwagon.

Vago Espadin Emigdio Jarquin

Emigdio Jarquin produces in Miahutalan, Oaxaca, a small town famous for being where some of the best mezcals are made.

This mezcal has a strong banana smell. On the palate it offers fruity flavors with a note that reminds you of gin. Espadin Emigdio Jarquin is suprsingly light for a 100 proof mezcal.

Vago Ensamble en Barro Tío Rey

Tio Rey produces Mezcal in an ancestral way, that is, without using any mechanical or electrical tool.

It also differs from the rest by distilling in clay pots. This type of distillation removes harshness from the mezcal, making it more pleasant while adding rich earthy notes.

Personally, I declare myself a fan of this type of mezcal.

An ensemble or ensamble mezcal is one in which two or more agaves were distilled together in the same batch. The hearts of the different agaves are cooked and fermented together.

Tio Rey used Espadin, Coyote and Mexicano agaves to make this release. Although the mix changes from batch to batch.

This mezcal offers earthy notes along cinnamon, vanilla and oak.

Ensamble en Barro is better suited for the mezcal connoisseur.

Vago Tobala Emigdio Jarquin

Tobala mezcal is the fourth most common type of mezcal that exists, it is made with the tobala maguey plant scientifically known as agave Potatorum.

This agave grows in the wild while taking 15 to mature, this makes it a rare find a pricey mezcal.

This is one of the best tobalas I have enjoyed. It has a sweet fruity taste with notes of banana and bubblegum. Feel lucky if you ever come across it as this bottle is not commonly seen.

Is Mezcal Vago good?

Vago delivers good Mezcals with a solid range with no weak links at affordable prices delivering great value for the money.

They serve well new drinkers and experienced aficionados making one of the best Mezcal brands from Oaxaca.

What’s the best Mezcal Vago?

Elote is the best-selling mezcal in my shop for a good reason: it is damn good!

I have sold tons of Elotes and have never received negative feedback, on the contrary, it is the mezcal with the highest buyback.

If you are an absolut newbie to mezcal then I suggest you to try Joel Barriga’s Espadin. This is a smoother dram and one you will fully appreciate.

Who owns Mezcal Vago?

Vago started as a partnership between Judah Kuper and Dylan Sloan.

Vago means vagabond and refers to the state Kuper and Sloan were in when they met Aquilino Garcia. They were living the good life enjoying beach towns and mezcal down in Oaxaca.

They recently sold equity to Samson & Surrey, a company with a strong spirits portfolio in North America. Samson was created by former executives of the Bacardi Company.

How to Drink Mezcal Vago?

These flavorful mezcals don’t make good mixers, they are better suited to be enjoyed either neat or rocks. If you are in the market for a mixer look into Del Maguey Vida.

Prices

Prices are stated in USD:

Mezcal	Price
Elote	$52
Espadin Joel Barriga	$55
Espadin Emigdio Jarquin	$50
Ensamble en Barro	$85

These are attractive prices for the quality of the releases.