Spirits · Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Mezcal Vago
Small-batch Oaxacan mezcals that name the mezcalero behind every bottle.
- Founded by
- Judah Kuper
- Based in
- Oaxaca, Oaxaca
Their story
Judah Kuper met his wife, who is from Oaxaca, on a surfing trip, and through her family he met her father, Aquilino García López. Aquilino was a fifth-generation mezcalero who had only ever made mezcal for family and neighbors, at his place deep in the mountains about three hours from Oaxaca City.
Judah designed the label, named the brand and found an importer, and Vago began bottling Aquilino's mezcal for sale. The lineup soon grew to include mezcals from other producers, such as Salomón Rey Rodriguez in Sola de Vega, with each label naming the mezcalero who made it.
How it's made
Aquilino harvests agave by machete, growing espadín and mexicano and gathering wild cuixe and tobalá. Piñas roast in an underground pit and ferment with wild yeast in pine vats. Other Vago producers work even more traditionally, fermenting in hollowed pine trunks and distilling in clay pots.
This whole process is really laborious and takes probably 4 times the effort of a copper still and stone tahona process.
Why we carry them
Vago is a favorite for exploring how much a single mezcalero shapes the spirit. The Elote, made with toasted corn, is a fun one to try.
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