This unique ensamble from Tio Rey was made with 45 year old maguey Blanco and 10-25 year old maguey Sierra Negra.
About this mezcal
This special batch from Tio Rey was distilled in August of 2014. This 175 liter batch was composed of 77% maguey Blanco and 23% maguey Sierra Negra. Both are sub varieties of Agave Americana. The maguey Blanco used for this batch was planted by Tio Rey’s grandfather and harvested after 45 years later. Mezcalero Tio Rey had been watching the agaves grow on his property since he was 10 years old. The Sierra Negra takes anywhere from 10 to 25 years to mature and has a slightly higher sugar content. Tio Rey uses ancient techniques of hand mashing the agave hearts with wooden mallets and distilling the mezcal in small clay pots.
Read more about this unique batch on the Mezcal Vago blog 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
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