Mezcal Vago Espadin en Barro by Tio Rey

Tío Rey is Vago's clay-pot maestro — the red label — and this espadín en barro used to sell for fifty dollars before enthusiasts caught on; Mezcal Reviews says it's still probably worth twice that. Mezcal Vago launched in 2013 bottling single-maestro mezcals with the producer's name and batch on the label; Salomón Rey Rodríguez, Tío Rey, works in Sola de Vega, the mountain heartland of ollas de barro distillation, and his family moved to Miahuatlán after the revolutions alongside Aquilino's. Espadín en Barro is espadín roasted in an earthen pit, crushed by hand and tahona, fermented with wild yeast in wooden vats, and distilled in small clay pot stills over a wood fire — the ancestral method — hand-bottled around 49 to 50% ABV; check your batch. Mezcal Reviews found chalky minerality, floral and fruity on entry, then excellent heat and earthy sweetness on a long finish — all this flavor from espadín is incredible, so strong and yet subtle, an extra half star for value — and, beside Tío Rey's ensamble, hotter with tropical fruit and peach and a citrus tang. Clay distillation lends an earthy, mineral softness copper never gives. Honest note: a somewhat rare release, still strength, batch-varying, and the bottle that shows why clay matters. Neat, in a copita, beside a copper espadín to taste the difference. Tío Rey's espadín, in clay.

Buy Mezcal Vago Espadin en Barro by Tio Rey online with fast shipping right to your door.