Vago Tobala en Barro is an elegant and earthy clay pot distilled mezcal. It’s made in very small batches and is hard to find.
About this mezcal
Vago Tobala en Barro is made by Salomon Rey Rodriguez (Tio Rey) in Sola de Vega. This mezcal is made with Maguey Tobala (Agave potatorum) that are 17-18 years old when they are harvested. The sustainable harvest of this majestic agave is very important to him, and he has planted over 40,000 new agave plants to ensure that Tobala production will continue in Sola de Vega for many years to come. This mezcal is distilled to proof, meaning that there is no water added to adjust ABV after distillation.
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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MezcalBabe
75 reviewsVago Tobala (Tio Rey) @ Vago tasting (made in southwest Mexico in a forresty area, distilled in clay pots; vegetal green pepper on the nose )
Ronco Sips
11 reviews52.7 AVB, Lot number S-05-TOB-20, 153 Litters Grey label with gold lettering.
I was in San Antonio, TX and of course I made sure that I dropped into Alamo City Liquor (I meet the owner Frank!) This bottle of Vago Tobala en Barro and was a special batch for Alamo City Liquor and was “Reposado en cantaro” which means rested in the bottle? I’m not really sure of that term. Here is the video link if you want to watch it. https://youtu.be/blfdKCixGj8?si=mIte6cRhK7_g9L8m
Last Month from the video.
NOSE: Fruit, Plum, light smoke, a bit of the alcohol, Earthy clay, a plastic or rubber (but not bad), mineral, grassy, one note that I just can’t place sort of a funky musty aroma.
PALATE: Sweetness follow by smoke, rain water, complex, around the third sip; cake frosting, a light fruit taste that I could not find, maybe plum. I was not blown away, but for sure a really nice evening slow sipper.
MOUTHFEEL: light viscosity, smooth, light burn,
FINISH: Long, not sure about the after taste.
Today: Sept 3, 2023
NOSE: On the pour a blast of Orange, a hint of smoke, grass, earth, rocks, rain, vegetal.
PALATE: Citrus, light smoke, grass. lemon, light pleasant burn. Second sip; for just a moment a sharp sweetness which dissipates immediately into black, licorice herbal mix.
MOUTHFEEL: A light viscosity.
FINISH: Long finish, herbal, hint of mint? Sweet, after a few sips a long finish of black licorice, Lot’s of earth.
If you want to put a mood or a vibe to this one, or a color think very moody dark grey almost black. For my taste I would like to have something more up front, a bit more fruit or even more of the grass. In the video a month ago I gave this a rating of 4, but I’m gong to down grade a bit and give it a 3.5 but it’s closer to 4 something like a 3.8.
52.7 AVB, Lot number S-05-TOB-20, 153 Litters Grey label with gold lettering.
I was in San Antonio, TX and of course I made sure that I dropped into Alamo City Liquor (I meet the owner Frank!) This bottle of Vago Tobala en Barro and was a special batch for Alamo City Liquor and was “Reposado en cantaro” which means rested in the bottle? I’m not really sure of that term. Here is the video link if you want to watch it. https://youtu.be/blfdKCixGj8?si=mIte6cRhK7_g9L8m
Last Month from
COak
238 reviewsMay 2019. This is bursting with flavor. The nose is rustic but bright. Sweet, rich and fruity. Could drink this forever.
El Dawg
237 reviewsS-09-TOB-19
Great sweet, fruity, and tangy smell – definitely get the strawberry shortcake on the nose. Great taste, crispy, and creamy. Little funkiness in there as well, which I attribute to the clay. Solid tobala for sure, but not my favorite it would seem. I do love the strawberry notes though.
Review #116
Rorschach
43 reviewsLast trip to Oaxaca hit gold when buying some bottles of this from the man himself. No info on the lot and such since it was his personal label, but ABV was a handwritten 50.0%
This one was very earthy, in a very powerful way. I don’t know the word but you can literally taste where it came from in a beautiful way. That day will come when the last bottle is opened damit.
Zack Klamn
542 reviewsLot: S-09-TOB-19
Nose: Yum! Perky fruitiness with heavy farm cream notes.
Palate: Strawberry cream cheese to kick this adventure off followed by an engulfing minty heat. Pleasant mouth feel, optimal viscosity. The sweet, shortcake dessert aftertaste lingers and lingers… AMAZING!
il1
12 reviewsOne of the ’19 batch –
Little fruit, very clay heavy, smoke heavy. Earthy
TrogdordeFuegoanator
40 reviewsLot S-02-TOB-17, April 2017, 52.20% 78 liters.
Another case of a long opened bottle, to my dismay. I recall thinking this was rather special, but 52.20% and this much time with air in the bottle the prettier notes fade away. Tastes like old butterscotch and not much else. Maybe a whiff of rotten banana. Two old Tio Rey en Barro’s in a row and I feel like my next trip to the store deserves fresh bottles and less drinking.
stigibeu
33 reviewsMay 2019 batch. Tasted blind against a couple other non-tobala mezcals.
Nose of an old couch, mothballs, a bit of sea breeze as it opens up. Like the back corner of an old Army surplus store. Bitter palate to me with slate and stone accents. Coffee grinds. An oxidized, earthen finish.
Overall, not quite on Lalo’s level for me. Sounds like the ’19 batch had a little less fruit/complexity to it than earlier batches.
JJHenderson
10 reviewsMy desert island mezcal.
I first tried this in the UK in 2016 and I was blown away. Earth, smoke, chocolate milk. It perfectly balances complexity with softness, sweet with savoury, and just the right amount of smoke. This bottle really opened my eyes to the breadth of variation within mezcal, and made me a Sola De Vega obsessive.
ptperc
10 reviewsLot S-09-TOB-19 May 2019 batch. 49.2% ABV. Hints of milk chocolate and orange with lots of minerality right off the bat. Slightly musty on the nose. The chocolate gets stronger as I let it open up. I’m also getting some dried fig. To me, not as fruity of a batch as others have experienced with previous batches. Still phenomenal though. With only 93 liters, if you see it, try it.
El_Cura
31 reviewsLot S-08-DV-T-14 fermented January 2014, 49.5% ABV.
Amazing array of caramel, butterscotch and pears. Mineral, earthy & fruity with a hint of very light smoke and chocolate. I’ve tried Tío Rey’s Espadin and several Ensambles and now this. So far everything has been outstanding. I wish he would come out with a Pechuga for the masses. Maybe next year.
Mansson
71 reviewsLot S-06-TOB-16, distilled April 2016. This is a wonderfully rich and complex mezcal. Tropical fruits and dried apricot provide a pronounced sweetness which is balanced against the earthy notes from the clay distillation. And, as has already been said by others, there is a distinct note of orange liqueur (Cointreau, Grand Marnier). Very smooth; no alcohol burn at all.
GreenspointTexas
385 reviewsAlmost 5 stars. Really creamy and smooth… almost thicker than a mezcal should be, if that makes sense. Well integrated with notes of blueberry, wet rock, and faint grassiness. Incredible
Jonny
736 reviewsLot S-02A-TOB-17. From April 2017. 35 total liters in the batch. Smells like bananas. The palate is full of mangos, papaya, and dark fruit. This is really good. There’s a weird turn halfway through this. It goes from dark fruit to something else entirely. It’s almost as if this turns a corner halfway through. It’s honestly tough to describe. There’s a tailing flavor of wild apples. When I first tasted this, I thought “wow this is over-rated,” but the more I sip it, the more complex it becomes.
Lot S-02A-TOB-17. From April 2017. 35 total liters in the batch. Smells like bananas. The palate is full of mangos, papaya, and dark fruit. This is really good. There’s a weird turn halfway through this. It goes from dark fruit to something else entirely. It’s almost as if this turns a corner halfway through. It’s honestly tough to describe. There’s a tailing flavor of wild apples. When I first tasted this, I thought “wow this is over-rated,” but the more I sip it, the more complex i
Squashplayer
36 reviewsFrom the April 2017 batch of 78 liters. Wow! Worth your while to seek out this small batch. More fruit and sweetness flavors in this one compared to other tobalas I have tasted. Also with nice hint of clay on the finish. Bravo Tío Rey!
Tyler
668 reviewsThis is one of the rarest regular releases from Tio Rey at Mezcal Vago. I’ve had this a few times but my recent experience was unforgettable. The initial flavors are a rush of sweet citrus, then organic agave, soft, clay, and dried fruit. The flavor of chocolate orange is present through the whole experience – very much like orange liqueur as another reviewer noted. This is incredibly composed with zero bite. Enjoying this was like settling back into a comfy antique leather chair. I tried a recent batch from April 2017. Only 78 liters at 52.2% ABV.
This is one of the rarest regular releases from Tio Rey at Mezcal Vago. I’ve had this a few times but my recent experience was unforgettable. The initial flavors are a rush of sweet citrus, then organic agave, soft, clay, and dried fruit. The flavor of chocolate orange is present through the whole experience – very much like orange liqueur as another reviewer noted. This is incredibly composed with zero bite. Enjoying this was like settling back into a comfy antique leather chair. I
Keith
35 reviewsLot S-96-TOB-16, 48.2% ABV, April 2016, dark, deep, rich, multi-layered. Vegetal notes emerge occasionally, sometimes spice, sometimes something else. Very long, lingering finish, with taste & feel of orange liqueur and sticky chocolate on the lips. A wonderfully sophisticated mezcal.
There’s unique hybridization occurring on Tio Rey’s ranch. One example is his cultivated Tobala agave, which are much larger at maturity than typical Agave Potatorum species found elsewhere.
Lot S-96-TOB-16, 48.2% ABV, April 2016, dark, deep, rich, multi-layered. Vegetal notes emerge occasionally, sometimes spice, sometimes something else. Very long, lingering finish, with taste & feel of orange liqueur and sticky chocolate on the lips. A wonderfully sophisticated mezcal.
There’s unique hybridization occurring on Tio Rey’s ranch. One example is his cultivated Tobala agave, which are much larger at maturity than typical Agave Potatorum species found elsewhere.