Desert Door Texas Sotol Original

Rating: 10/23 Nose: It's quite rich and full. It's not sweet. I detect a lot of vegetative funk mixed with aged tobacco and some minerals. There's something slightly tart in a way that's not unpleasant, perhaps like briny olive? There's an unidentifiable musty note that reminds me a bit of the vegetal funk in rhum agricole. A hint of old socks. Overall, it reminds me somewhat of Fortaleza Blanco and also of mezcal. Palate: The palate has much more minerality than I anticipated. It's also quite bitter. It has a stale tobacco flavor, like licking an ashtray. I really dislike the harsh, slightly numbing spiciness at the beginning, though I do get some cinnamon from it. I detect a hint of olive brine, but not much. I truly dislike how the palate is significantly lighter than the nose due to the increased minerality. After a few minutes, the palate becomes more floral with a clearer musty, moldy paper flavor that brings to mind my bottle of Centenario Reposado. Unfortunately, I don't care for this palate. It might be an acquired taste, but I'm finding it very challenging. Finish: The stale tobacco and mineral flavors are prominent, with the rhum agricole squash funkiness still present. The olive brine is essentially (or entirely) gone. I notice some floral notes. There's a hint of tropical fruit (pineapple) deep into the finish. The moldy paper mustiness persists for a long time. This is a genuinely interesting experience. I can't say I truly enjoy it, but it was worth trying and it might be a good representation of its category (honestly, I have no clue). The minerality lightens the palate in a way that is disappointing after the nose is so rich and full, really detracting from the experience. I'm very glad I didn't purchase a full bottle. There's a lot going on, but it's chaotic. I think I would appreciate this more with more time and I bet I could find a suitable cocktail for it. I was considering 8 to 12 and I think I'm settling on 10.

A Sotol from Desert Door distillery in Driftwood, Texas, crafted with Dasylirion Texanum, also known as green desert spoon. It's cooked in a large, custom steamer, then machine-shredded and fermented for 5 days in stainless steel tanks using a proprietary organic yeast. The resulting mash is distilled in their custom-built still. The spirit is diluted to 40% ABV with purified water before bottling. It begins with herbaceous and spicy notes; while a smooth body introduces hints of agave, grass, lime, pink peppercorn, sage, touches of thyme, hyssop, toffee, and earthiness, leading to a robust and peppery conclusion. August / September 2020

I'm not very knowledgeable about Mexican brand regulations, but I thought it couldn't be called sotol outside of specific areas. Anyway, regardless of the branding, this is sotol, no matter what the marketing suggests. It's Texas sotol, no less. This was my first experience with sotol, and I genuinely enjoyed it. It has less smoke than mezcal and is more interesting than tequila. I detected a lot of grassy and earthy notes, but in a pleasant way, along with something spicy, possibly black pepper? Someone on YouTube mentioned white pepper, but I don't think that's quite accurate. There's also a subtle smokiness present. All in all, I really liked this.

The aroma is intriguing, with a vegetal, herbal, and slightly smoky character. The taste follows the nose, with added sweet synthetic oil and alkaline minerals. The finish has toasted tobacco, cinnamon, and more green vegetal and herbal notes. I actually preferred this expression to the oak-aged version. This sotol was very straightforward, whereas the aged version seemed to struggle to define itself. The oak-aged was more approachable to drink but also considerably less captivating.

The aroma is earthy and vegetal, with a hint of summer rain. It has a creamy, buttery quality. The finish brings lime zest to mind, though without the sharp, tart lime flavor. There's barely any smoke on the nose or palate, yet I detect a woody element despite the lack of barrel aging.

Prominent herbal notes on the palate with traces of sweetness. It tastes rather subdued, suggesting it was diluted to proof. It's a good mixer, far from terrible, but a bit underwhelming for sipping. I suspect it would be fantastic at a higher proof.