Vago Mezcal 70cl - Espadín - Joel Barriga

Product information

£59.69

Description

The Vago brand was inspired by mezcaleros Aquilino's exquisite mezcal. Aquilino sadly passed away but not before working with his cousin Joel Barriga for several months, ensuring his style of production was passed down. So Aquilino's unmistakable style has found its way into Joel's style which is bright, clean and bold without too much smoke. This mezcal has less bottom end (tails) than other Mezcal lines, due in part to his “narrow” cuts on the still.

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 their art. Also, the consumer gives them the knowledge they need to find a great mezcal. The brand plants 3 agaves for every single agave they harvest. Their goal is to end the use of wild agave by 2025 for most of their releases.

In 2017, Mezcal Vago began using different colour labels for their different mezcaleros. Emigdio Jarquín (blue label) distills in copper with refrescador. Aquilino and Joel Barriga (tan and gold labels respectively) distil in copper. Tío Rey (red label) distils in clay pots. All their mezcaleros use different water sources and make different distillation cuts.

Aroma: creamy, earthy, touch of spearmint

Palate: garden herbs, mint, oregano, and lemon balm balanced by rich buttery earthiness, caramelized agave, creme brulee, lime zest and limestone

ABV: 50.3%

6 available

Quantity

Additional details

    MezcalReviews rating: 4/5*

    Ben P: 'Nose: fruit on the nose, peaches, melon, sage, lemongrass, pear. Palate: soft mouthfeel, plums, mamey fruit, honeydew, moving toward the finish I get some minerality and light clove spice. Finish is citrus rind, white pepper, slate'

    the agavefairy 'Vegetal! Green! Surprisingly silky and sweet, huge vegetal notes and some florality emerge with scant peppery notes riding on top of the dark smoke adding liveliness. Some of that ‘hot rain on cement’, but overall just nice green espadin. Grape leaf, poblano.'

    jonny: 'After tasting Aquilino’s mezcal Espadin for years, I was a bit hesitant to try the new release from Joel Barriga. The Joel Barriga release, however, is quite a bit different in a very good way. It still has the heat (50.4% ABV) that is a signature in all Vago mezcals, but there seems to be more of a payout in his release. It’s much richer and fruit-forward. The body is semi-viscous with notes of apple, anise, flint, mango, and pepper. The nose is clean and lacks the strong aromas that are present in most other mezcal that is this high ABV. If you see Joel Barriga Vago Espadin, I highly recommend it. I tasted Lot: J-E-01-16.'

    NOM: 0188X Lot J-03-E-20

    Mezcalero: Joel Barriga

    Interesting fact:  Aquilino’s Mezcals has a definite style. Bright, clean and bold without too much smoke. They have less bottom end (tails) than other Mezcal lines, due in part to his “narrow” cuts on the still.

    All of Aquilino’s Mezcal goes through a simple triple sediment filtration through tubular cellulose filters. The bottling is done by hand is in Oaxaca City. The light filtration is the only way the Mezcal is affected between when it was made on the palenque and how it ends up in the bottle.

    Maguey/(Agave): espadín/ (A. angustifolia)

    Region: Hacienda Tapanala, Yegolé, Oaxaca

    Litres produced: 870 litres

    Oven type: earthen pit

    Extraction method: tahona wheel

    Water source:

    Fermentation: natural fermentation in wooden tanks

    Still type: copper

    Resting time:

    Disclaimer

    As Cool Chile is not the manufacturer of this product we cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided on our site (e.g. ingredients, nutritional information, etc). Manufacturers regularly change recipes and therefore we always recommend that you always check the actual label of the product before consuming.