Parejo Sotol Forest Wheeleri

48.7% ABV

Sotol is a Mexican distillate made from the Dasylirion plant known as the Desert Spoon (or just "Sotol") that is from the Asparagaceae family of plants, just like agaves. It grows widely throughout Mexico and the Southwest of the United States but the denomination of origin for the category only recognizes those spirits produced in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Durango and Coahuila. The rustic distilleries are called Vinatas and the distillers Vinateros in those states. It is also widely produced in the states of Sonora (where it's known as Palmilla), Oaxaca (Cucharillo), and Texas (Texas Sotol). 

This bottling is produced by 4th generation Maestro Vinatero Juan Fernandez in the village of Madera, in the Forest region which abuts the Sierra Madre Occidental mountain range of western Chihuahua. He and his brother Bienvenido share a Vinata and produce both Sotol and Lechuguilla (the local name for agave spirits) from locally grown varietals. This is wild harvested Dasylirion Wheeleri that is roasted in a conical, volcanic rock lined underground pit with pine wood. The cooked piñas are crushed with a mechanical mill and wild fermented in wooden tanks. It is double distilled in a stainless steel alembic and rested in glass demijohns for 4 months prior to bottling. It is lactic and fruity with a light smoke character, mineral depth, with a long and complex finish.