The heart of Mezcal Vago is family, and at the heart of that family is the late Don Aquilino García, a founding member of Mezcal Vago and the one who inspired our incredible story. Before Mezcal Vago, Don Aquilino had never produced mezcal commercially, making his contribution to Vago one that we cherish. Today, his legacy is continued by his sons Temo and Mateo, two members of the García family who uphold the artisanal traditions and standards learned by Don Aquilino and those before him. While Los Hijos continue the family legacy, we are proud to work with extended members of the García family to produce craft mezcal, each with a unique characteristic.
Candelaria Yegolé is a small river town elevated high in the mountains where its peaks meet the sky. At more than 3,600 ft above sea level, the climate is one that is rugged and dry, making it an ideal location for growing agave. Keeping with their father’s tradition, Temo and Mateo cultivate their own Espadín, Tepeztate, Cuishe, Mexicano, and Tobalá, while sourcing for rarer varieties of agave in surrounding areas.
The García family’s history with mezcal production is deep-rooted in tradition, going as far back as five generations, but it wasn’t until the mid-2000’s when Don Aquilino made this land their land. What was once a very small palenque has expanded into a larger space, designed by Don Aquilino’s keen eye. While the new palenque is larger in size with greater efficiency, the García family has preserved the art of artisanal craft and their family recipe by maintaining the same-sized roasting pits, tahonas, fermentation vats, and stills.
Following in Don Aquilino’s footsteps, Temo and Mateo are careful to only harvest ripe agave due to its sweeter taste and greater yield. Living amongst the mountains, many of the ripened agave grow far from the roads and over a large region surrounding the village. Finding them takes a great deal of time and patience. Once harvested, the agave are brought down to the palenque where they will roast for 2-4 days before they are mashed traditionally using a stone tahona pulled by a mule.
Typically, a full oven of roasted agave will take a few weeks to grind before they are placed in one of the pine-wood fermentation vats, each of which can hold 1,000 liters of mashed agave. On average, each batch will ferment for a week, but the secret to the García’s mezcal lies in the timing. The fermented mash is distilled before all of the sugar has fermented, allowing for a better balance of flavors, avoiding anything too acidic. As with each of the mezcaleros’, Don Aquilino’s unique practices create a mezcal with a distinct style, clean and bold.
