Project Description
DUST OFF A BOTTLE AND DRINK IT IN
Connoisseur mezcals, naturally made in a traditional palenque with no additives, exactly as their mezcaleros have been crafting them for generations.
AUTHENTICITY, TRANSPARENCY, SUSTAINABILITY
Deep in the mountains of southern Oaxaca, Mexico, generations of mezcaleros have been perfecting the craft of making mezcal. Based on authenticity, transparency and sustainability, these are single small batches made on traditional small family farms, by multi-generational producers who have never exported before, that now supply this incredible traditional high-proof alcohol content to the Vago brand alone. Mezcaleros have ownership and are part of the Vago family.
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MEET THE MEZCALEROS
HIJOS DE AQUILINO GARCIA
Candelaria Yegole
Natural, undyed label
Stone ground pinas
Copper pot still – Twice distilled
River water
Signature: Elote
EMIGDIO JARQUIN
Miahuatlán
Blue label (indigo)
Stone ground pinas
Copper pot still
Well water
Signature: Madrecuixe
TIÓ REY
Sola de Vega
Red label (Cochineal crimson)
Hand ground pinas
Clay pot still
Natural spring water
Signature: Ensamble en Barro
JOEL BARRIGA
Tapanala
Yellow label (pericon/marigold)
Stone ground pinas
Copper pot still
Natural spring water
Signature: Espadin
MAESTROS & MEDALLIONS
These pay homage to the mastery and craftsmanship behind Vago mezcal; the maestro mezcalero and their palenques. This symbolic language of Mezcal Vago uses the superposition of the ‘M’ and the ‘V’ with a monoline graphic inspired by nature, wild life and man. The graphic approach in these assets increases the subtle ancestral mystery of our spirit.
Hijos de Aquilino García
Candelaria Yegolé
Emigdio Jarquín
El Nanche, Miahuatlán
Tío Rey
Sola de Vega
Joel Barriga
Hacienda Tapanala
A STORY ABOUT LOVE, MEZCAL AND ALMOST DRINKING GASOLINE
“The start of my journey, a journey that would carry me deep into the culture, tradition and mystique of the most remote corners of Mexico, a journey that would help me find paradise, get me beat up, find me a wife and bring some of the finest mezcals to the rest of the world – came one morning fifteen years ago, when I was just trying to find some breakfast.
My buddy Dylan and I were in Oaxaca looking for a taqueria local – something a little bit hidden, unknown, maybe even a little bit dirty. As we crossed the zocalo and ducked down a narrow privada, we were overrun by a parade of young Oaxacaños who had just graduated from trade school and were celebrating with banners, fireworks and – this is the scary part – gasoline cans.
The fifty or so graduates grabbed us, pulled us into the street, circled us and shoved at us… the gasoline cans! They chanted, “Toma! Toma! Toma!” They wanted us to drink? Gasoline?
With nothing to do but acquiesce to that kind of peer pressure, we raised those gasoline containers high and drank. What hit my lips was so smoky and powerful that, momentarily, I thought it might actually be gasoline. In fact, it was my first taste of mezcal.”
Judah Emanuel Kuper, Co-Founder,
Mezcal Vago
My buddy Dylan and I were in Oaxaca looking for a taqueria local – something a little bit hidden, unknown, maybe even a little bit dirty. As we crossed the zocalo and ducked down a narrow privada, we were overrun by a parade of young Oaxacaños who had just graduated from trade school and were celebrating with banners, fireworks and – this is the scary part – gasoline cans.
The fifty or so graduates grabbed us, pulled us into the street, circled us and shoved at us… the gasoline cans! They chanted, “Toma! Toma! Toma!” They wanted us to drink? Gasoline?
With nothing to do but acquiesce to that kind of peer pressure, we raised those gasoline containers high and drank. What hit my lips was so smoky and powerful that, momentarily, I thought it might actually be gasoline. In fact, it was my first taste of mezcal.”
Judah Emanuel Kuper, Co-Founder,
Mezcal Vago
MEET THE MEZCALEROS
HIJOS DE AQUILINO
Candelaria Yegole
Natural, undyed label
Stone ground pinas
Copper pot still – Twice distilled
River water
Signature: Elote
EMIGDIO JARQUIN
Miahuatlán
Blue label (indigo)
Stone ground pinas
Copper pot still
Well water
Signature: Madrecuixe
TIÓ REY
Sola de Vega
Red label (Cochineal crimson)
Hand ground pinas
Clay pot still
Natural spring water
Signature: Ensamble en Barro
JOEL BARRIGA
Tapanala
Yellow label (pericon/marigold)
Stone ground pinas
Copper pot still
Natural spring water
Signature: Espadin
MAESTROS & MEDALLIONS
These pay homage to the mastery and craftsmanship behind Vago mezcal; the maestro mezcalero and their palenques. This symbolic language of Mezcal Vago uses the superposition of the ‘M’ and the ‘V’ with a monoline graphic inspired by nature, wild life and man. The graphic approach in these assets increases the subtle ancestral mystery of our spirit.
Hijos de Aquilino García
Candelaria Yegolé
Emigdio Jarquín
El Nanche, Miahuatlán
Tío Rey
Sola de Vega
Joel Barriga
Hacienda Tapanala
A STORY ABOUT LOVE, MEZCAL AND ALMOST DRINKING GASOLINE
“The start of my journey, a journey that would carry me deep into the culture, tradition and mystique of the most remote corners of Mexico, a journey that would help me find paradise, get me beat up, find me a wife and bring some of the finest mezcals to the rest of the world – came one morning fifteen years ago, when I was just trying to find some breakfast.
My buddy Dylan and I were in Oaxaca looking for a taqueria local – something a little bit hidden, unknown, maybe even a little bit dirty. As we crossed the zocalo and ducked down a narrow privada, we were overrun by a parade of young Oaxacaños who had just graduated from trade school and were celebrating with banners, fireworks and – this is the scary part – gasoline cans.
The fifty or so graduates grabbed us, pulled us into the street, circled us and shoved at us… the gasoline cans! They chanted, “Toma! Toma! Toma!” They wanted us to drink? Gasoline?
With nothing to do but acquiesce to that kind of peer pressure, we raised those gasoline containers high and drank. What hit my lips was so smoky and powerful that, momentarily, I thought it might actually be gasoline. In fact, it was my first taste of mezcal.”
Judah Emanuel Kuper, Co-Founder,
Mezcal Vago
WHAT MAKES MEZCAL VAGO SPECIAL?
AGAVE
Utilising 100% natural agricultural methods that have been passed down through the generations, Mezcal Vago harvests both wild and cultivated agave that are selected for peak maturity by the master mezcaleros. This agave, or ‘maguey’, grows between 7 – 12 years before harvest, with the maguey plant varietals being used to produce different mezcals.
ROASTING
Once harvested, the starch-rich piñas – or hearts of the agave – are roasted underground for 3 – 5 days (different to the roasting techniques used for tequila), while the starches are broken down into simple fermentable sugars.
CRUSHING
Using either a 3-ton stone wheel called a tahona, or 20-pound wooden mallets called mazos, the mezcaleros crush the soft agave fibers to release the sugars hidden inside. This takes place on-site of each of the mezcalero’s palenque, and varies by mezcalero:
- Stone-ground (artisanal)
- Hand-ground (ancestral)
FERMENTATION
Once the roasted agave have cooled, the mezcaleros ferment the sugar-rich agave in wooden tanks, adding only water and using the ambient yeast in the air to convert sugar into alcohol. The natural airborne yeast in the southern Oaxacan region allows fermentation to happen organically, the characteristics of such yeasts vary by region.
DISTILLATION
Preserving the traditions of their ancestors, the mezcaleros distill their fermented agave in either copper alembic stills or clay Filipino stills in order to produce Vago’s artisanal mezcals. Distillation is unique to each palenque. Traditional clay pots (ollas de barro) are indicative of ancestral methods and copper stills are used in artisanal mezcals.
ALL-NATURAL LABELLING
The bottle labels are the work of Mexican graphic designer Abraham Lule and the label production is done by hand, thanks to the hard work of Eric Ramirez in Oaxaca. These labels are produced from 100% recycled agave fibers (bagzo) which are salvaged from the left over mash, post distillation. The result is a rustic elegance that is as wild and authentic as the Mezcal itself.
