Vago Espadin en Barro is distilled in small clay pots. This process gives the mezcal a strong aroma and taste of wet clay and red earth.
About this mezcal
Vago Espadin en Barro is made by Tio Rey in Sola de Vega, which is an area that is steeped in history of clay bot distillation. In true artisinal fashion, Tio Rey hand mashes the roasted agave and distills each batch in small clay pots. The batches of this mezcal are much smaller than the regular copper-still distillation Espadin releases that Vago puts out. The smell and taste of clay is highly evident in this mezcal.
Read more about Mezcal Vago Espadin en Barro at Mas Mezcal
Vago Mezcal
Mezcal Vago began when co-founder Judah Kuper visited a hospital in Oaxaca, Mexico. He fell in love with the nurse who treated him. Her father, Aquilino Garcia, was a sustenance farmer who also produced mezcal. Judah and Aquilino, along with Judah’s longtime friend Dylan Sloan, launched Mezcal Vago. In 2013, their first exported bottles arrived in Texas. Each of their mezcals is produced naturally in a traditional palenque with no additives. The brand aims to empower both the master craftsmen with a celebration of his art. Also the consumer by giving them the knowledge they need to find a great mezcal. The brand plants 3 agaves for each single agave they harvest. Their goal is to end the use wild agave by 2025 for most of their releases.
In 2017, Mezcal Vago began using different color labels for their different mezcaleros. Emigdio Jarquin (blue label) distills in copper with refrescador. Aquilino and Joel Barriga (tan and gold labels respectively) distill in copper. Tio Rey (red label) distills in clay pots. All their mezcaleros use different water sources and make different distillation cuts. In 2018, Mezcal Vago established an investment partnership with Samson and Surrey. With the new partnership, each Mezcal Vago mezcalero has a stake in Samson and Surrey.
In 2021, Mezcal Vago went through its first major brand redesign since their launch in 2013.
Learn more Mezcal Vago:
- The Mezcal Vago Tasting Room in Oaxaca on Mezcal Reviews
- A podcast interview with co-founder Judah Kuper on Show de Vie Podcast w/Mike G
- The Mezcal Vago blog Mas Mezcal
Review this bottle
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little agave
72 reviewsAroma:
Palate: Enjoyed this.
Batch: Tasting event. Didn’t catch batch number.
Tyler
668 reviewsCan’t believe i haven’t reviewed this. It is a somewhat rare release which used to retail for $50/bottle and has now doubled to $100/bottle which is still probably worth it, and before it was a steal. This is just like clay candy and it takes a bit for the bottle to open up. Lots of fruit mid-palate like peaches. Alcohol cinnamon spice finish. Feb. 2018 (S-15/01 – E-18), 373 liters, 50.6% ABV.
tallchad
126 reviewsThis is really good! All this flavor from Espadín is incredible. So strong and yet subtle in flavor. Heat is about as perfect as it gets. I was excited when Rakhal mentioned chocolate milk but maybe not with this batch. Chalky minerality, floral and fruity on entry then finishes with excellent heat and earthy sweetness. Long finish. Extra half star for value!
Update Jan 2023–I tasted this alongside Tío Rey’s ensamble. Here are some thoughts…
Hotter than the ensamble, with tropical fruit and peach for the aroma. Taste has good heat with some citrus tang. Not as complex as the ensamble. The finish is good, with some slight bitterness but with building heat down the throat.
February 2020, 588 liters, 49.6%.
This is really good! All this flavor from Espadín is incredible. So strong and yet subtle in flavor. Heat is about as perfect as it gets. I was excited when Rakhal mentioned chocolate milk but maybe not with this batch. Chalky minerality, floral and fruity on entry then finishes with excellent heat and earthy sweetness. Long finish. Extra half star for value!
Update Jan 2023–I tasted this alongside Tío Rey’s ensamble. Here are some thoughts…
Hotter than the ensamble, with tropical fru
SoloAgave
86 reviewsLove the marizpan (almond, honey) and chocolate malt flavors that jump right out. It settles a bit into some hard to place fruitiness but ends with a nice hot finish that warms your chest while offering a nice coating effect. Amazing value here for the product – this isn’t your average Espadin and is well worth the investment.
S-01-E-20 Feb 2020
Rakhal
430 reviewsS-08-E-19. Like drinking chocolate milk out of an unglazed clay mug while eating a perfectly ripe cantaloupe melon. Very nice batch.
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsNose – Light minerality and sweetness.
Palate – Papaya. Hot in the middle but still very nice. Clay finish is dry and morphs from a fruity to vanilla sweetness. Great smoke profile the whole way through. Solid! – 4 Stars
10/23/2021 Update:
The above review was a 2 oz. sample in Puro Burro bar in Oaxaca Centro. I recently bought a bottle of this in California for $51 (Lot: S-01E-20 – February 2020). Crazy value here! I bumped my rating up to 4.5 stars.
Nose – Light minerality and sweetness.
Palate – Papaya. Hot in the middle but still very nice. Clay finish is dry and morphs from a fruity to vanilla sweetness. Great smoke profile the whole way through. Solid! – 4 Stars
10/23/2021 Update:
The above review was a 2 oz. sample in Puro Burro bar in Oaxaca Centro. I recently bought a bottle of this in California for $51 (Lot: S-01E-20 – February 2020). Crazy value here! I bumped my rating up to 4.5 stars.
El Dawg
237 reviewsS-01-E-20
Slight tinge in color. Subdued smell, but obviously clay. Sweet smells of espadin as well. Notes of chalkiness and some tropical fruit. Bit hot at the end, but still very well balanced with the clay distillation. 2oz sample.
Review #96
edgy4sure
39 reviewsTio Rey does it again! Great mezcal here, not as old a batch as the 1st 2 reviews but still a hot product (NOV 2019). I got no real funk in my batch but instead find it more like a gravel pit (in a good way). DEC 2019 bottle on deck, I plan to keep this in my cabinet always since I can buy it local.
Squashplayer
36 reviewsLot S-13-E-16 from Nov 2016. 430 liters . 53%ABV. The nose on this is very earthy and almost musty. Some would call it “funky” and there is no doubt that was distilled in clay. It’s quite “hot” on the palate so sip it slow. Overall a very unique and enjoyable mezcal if you like clay pot distillation which I certainly do
Jonny
736 reviewsLot S-07-E-16 from March 2016. 235 Liters in batch. 51.9% ABV. The nose is sweet with hints of perfume and alcohol (not surprising given the ABV). There’s a good amount of clay on the palate, and the texture of this mezcal seems to really mimic the feeling of wet clay as it cascades over the taste buds. Aside from strong notes of clay and chalky earth, this has some floral and fruity characteristics that set it aside from the regular Vago Espadin release from Aquilino.