Mezcal Vago
Batch-numbered Oaxacan mezcal built around three named mezcalero families.
- Region
- Candelaria Yegolé / Sola de Vega, Oaxaca
- Country
- Mexico
- Founded
- 2012
- Agaves
- Espadín, Elote, Mexicano, Tobaziche, Cuixe, Ensamble en Barro
- ABV range
- 43% – 52.6%
- Styles
- Joven, Ensamble, Pechuga, Blend
- Community reviews
- 2,619
Mezcal Vago began as a personal project between Judah Kuper and the family of his father-in-law, Aquilino García López, in Candelaria Yegolé. Rather than build a house style, the label bottles each mezcalero separately and prints the batch, the agave, the still and the ABV on every label — so what you buy is a specific distillation, not a repeatable product.
Three producers anchor the range. Aquilino García works in Candelaria Yegolé with copper stills; Emigdio Jarquín distills in clay in Miahuatlán; Salomón Rey Rodríguez makes the label's Sierra Negra and mixed ensambles. Their bottles taste materially different from each other, which is exactly the point.
Elote — espadín re-distilled with toasted corn — is the label's calling card and one of the most recognised mezcals in the US market. Beyond it, the Espadín, Ensamble, Cuixe, Tobalá and Madrecuixe releases rotate with each harvest, so batch numbers matter more than the name on the front.
What Mezcal Vago is known for
Radical label transparency and single-mezcalero batches. Every bottle names the maker, the village, the agave, the oven and the still, and each batch is small enough that flavour genuinely shifts between releases.
Where to start in the range
Elote if you want the signature — toasted corn, sweet smoke, hugely cocktail-friendly. Espadín from Aquilino for the classic house expression, Ensamble en Barro for clay-pot texture, and Cuixe or Madrecuixe when you want the mineral, vegetal side of wild agave.
House tasting profile
Recurring notes across Mezcal Vago's bottles in the catalog.
Aroma
Palate
Finish
Review highlights
Best-rated Mezcal Vago bottles by community score.
Bottles from Mezcal Vago
Vago Mezcal
Vago Espadin – Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez
3.2(180)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Jabali / Espadin – Hijos de Aquilino Garcia
3.1(178)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Tobala – Joel Barriga
3.0(153)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Madre Cuixe – Aquilino Garcia Lopez
3.2(141)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Pechuga – Joel Barriga
3.2(128)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Espadin – Joel Barriga
3.3(109)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Espadin en Barro
3.3(100)
Vago Mezcal
Vago El Manantial
3.3(78)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Mexicano – Joel Barriga
3.3(77)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Espadin – Aquilino Garcia Lopez
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Madre Cuixe – Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Arroqueño – Emigdio Jarquín
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Arroqueno en Barro
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Mexicano – Aquilino
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Barril en Barro
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Pechuga en Barro
3.5(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Pechuga – Hijos de Aquilino
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Pechuga – Tío Rey
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Tepeztate – Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez
3.5(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Tepeztate – Joel Barriga
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Tobala – Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Elote – Hijos de Aquilino Garcia
3.5(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Mexicano, Arroqueño – Joel Barriga
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Mexicanito en Barro
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Sierra Negra – Aquilino
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Tepeztate – Aquilino Garcia Lopez
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Pechuga – Emigdio Jarquín
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Tepeztate – Hijos de Aquilino
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Tobala en Barro
3.5(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Tobala – Aquilino Garcia Lopez
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Mexicano – Hijos de Aquilino Garcia
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Blanco y Negra – Tio Rey
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Bien Picado – Aquilino
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Cuixe – Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Cuixe – Aquilino Garcia Lopez
3.5(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Elote – Aquilino García López
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Ensamble – Emigdio Jarquin Ramirez
3.6(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Ensamble en Barro
3.5(42)
Vago Mezcal
Vago Colorado Madrecuixe / Tobala
3.6(42)Vago Mezcal
Vago Ensamble – Aquilino Garcia Lopez
3.5(42)
Mezcal Vago — frequently asked
- What is Vago Elote?
- An espadín mezcal re-distilled with toasted corn suspended in the still, giving a sweet, grainy, lightly smoky profile that works both neat and in cocktails.
- Why does each Vago bottle taste different?
- Every release is a small single batch from a named mezcalero, so agave lot, oven, still and season all change between bottlings.