Vago Cuixe from Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez is made using a refrescadera still, which is somewhat common in the Ejutla/Miahuatlan region of Oaxaca.
About this mezcal
Vago Cuixe from maestro mezcalero Emigdio Jarquin is produced in Miahuatlan, Oaxaca. The maguey Cuixe (agave Karwinskii) used in this mezcal is crushed by tahona and distilled in a copper refrescadera still. Emigdio is known throughout the region for his distilling expertise and all of his mezcal holds a high standard for the rest of the Miahuatlan region. Each batch may vary slight. Check your batch for details.
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
Mezcal Vago blog:
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Pablito
4 reviewsLOT E-04-C-17 / 51.1% Batch size 170 L. February 2017
This is a solid mezcal. Big fruity nose, melon, lots of melon, cantaloupe, honeydew and banana, overripe banana. On the palate the fruit flavors evolve and it gets spicy and vegetal. The finish is long and dry, bone dry. 4.25
Jdouglass
8 reviewsEmigdio E-19 C-17, October 2017, 50.6%. Remarkable! Big round nose full of cooked agave and with very little smoke, loads of uncooked green coffee and white pepper with a lingering bitter finish.
pallzley
16 reviewsJune 2016, Emigdio Jarquin
Paint primer on the nose (sweet charred plantain with acetone, sure), background notes of soft agave. Minerality in the taste. Palate and taste follow through – seemingly not with differing palate from the nose – until the immediate aftertaste. Oh man the aftertaste. Tamarind, chile lime… rust. If there was a word to describe all three otherwise, I’d say it, but it’s there. Long lasting, sure, but an obscure aftertaste indeed. Obscure experience. Not undesirable, but interesting. If you are one to enjoy bold and borderline-line metallicy terrior and earth, then this is for you.
June 2016, Emigdio Jarquin
Paint primer on the nose (sweet charred plantain with acetone, sure), background notes of soft agave. Minerality in the taste. Palate and taste follow through – seemingly not with differing palate from the nose – until the immediate aftertaste. Oh man the aftertaste. Tamarind, chile lime… rust. If there was a word to describe all three otherwise, I’d say it, but it’s there. Long lasting, sure, but an obscure aftertaste indeed. Obscure expe
Tyler
643 reviewsThe batches can vary quite a bit. I lean a bit towards the Cuixe mezcals from Emigdio over Aquilino, but both are amazing. The Emigdio Cuixe has a nose that is an incredible bouquet of green vegetables and earth. On the palate there is a great balance between the vegetal and earthy notes along with citrus, mint, and green apple. There is no bite and it is incredibly complex. April 2016 batch.
Joseph
26 reviewsEmigdio: April 2016 – Bright & fragrant. Green and herbaceous. Cucumber, earth, and some sweet roasted agave at the finish. The few varieties of Emigdio’s mezcal I’ve tried all share a very similar flavor profile, but it’s one that I keep coming back to. The flavor is robust, complex, and carries through the entire palate.
Jonny
708 reviewsLot E-05-C-16. This is from Emigdio Jarquin, and it’s really, really good. The nose is incredibly herbal and vegetal. The mouthfeel is semi-viscous. The palate has notes of orange, tangerine, vanilla, caramel, green apple, and cinnamon. This is a full-flavor mezcal that is incredibly easy to drink considering it’s at 50.2%.
Keith
35 reviewsLot E-05-C-16, 50.2% ABV, Emigdio. Nose of green olive, salt, and very light smoke, bright, spicy flavors of Chiltepin chiles & white pepper, pronounced alcohol burn, a little herbaceous, a dry finish with straw, earth, sweet agave, and somewhat bitter aftertaste. A challenging drink when the bottle was first opened, then this mezcal morphed into a real beauty a year later.