Durango’s ‘oldest’ sotol distillery targets US

The oldest sotol distillery in the Mexican state of Durango has launched its inaugural product, Fabriquero Sotol, in the US market.

Fabriquero Sotol is now available in the US market

Described as “the next mezcal”, sotol is distilled from 100% estate-grown wild Dasylirion wheeleri, known as ‘The Desert Spoon’, and has a Denomination of Origin comprising three states in northern Mexico – Durango, Coahuila, and Chihuahua.

Currently one of just two sotols produced in Durango, Fabriquero Sotol is made by Don Héctor Jiménez using traditional methods passed down to him in his father’s northern vinata, or distillery, which has been producing the spirit for almost 100 years.

To create the distillate, the plants are hand-picked and cooked for five days in a lava rock-lined pit using acacia and mesquite. They are then hand-crushed and fermented in open air.

“When producer Don Héctor Jiménez and his son Gamaliel decided to rebuild the tradition of his family estate, they decided to make this sotol in the time-honoured method not cutting any corners to produce the best sotol they possibly could,” said Danny Mena, co-founder of Fabriquero Sotol.

The resulting liquid has “strong minerality” accompanied by notes of wild grass, violet blossom, charred mesquite, and “an underlying richness” that comes from the acacia wood used to cook the piñas.

Bottled at 45% abv, Fabriquero Sotol will be available across the US in limited quantities at the RRP of US$64.99.