Mezcal Vago Especial Barreno Emigdio Jarquín

Mezcal Vago Especial Barreno is a limited joven from Mezcal Vago, made under maestro mezcalero Emigdio Jarquin in Miahuatlan, Oaxaca, with a total run of just 365 litres. It is distilled from Barreno, an uncommon member of the karwinskii family related to Madrecuixe and Cuixe, with a spiral form and a profile of its own, reaching maturity in around seven to ten years. Every Vago mezcal is made in a traditional palenque without additives, and the house plants three agaves for each one it harvests.
Jarquin works the blue label of the range, distilling in copper with a refrescador, a second cooling pot that shapes the spirit. As a karwinskii agave Barreno leans mineral, herbal and dry, with savoury green and earthy character and the faint bitter edge typical of the family. Bottled undiluted at 51.1%, the proof carries that intensity and texture, a rare single agave for those who already know the category.