Desert Door Texas Sotol Original

Rating: 10/23 N: It's quite rich and full. It's not sweet. I get a lot of vegetative funk mixed with aged tobacco and some minerals. There's something a bit tart in a slightly rancid (but not bad way). Briny olive, perhaps? There's something musty that I can't quite place but that reminds me of that vegetal funk in rhum agricole just a bit. A trace of old socks. Overall, it reminds me a bit of Fortaleza Blanco and also of mezcal. P: The palate has a lot more mineral to it than I'd expected. It's quite bitter too. It has the stale tobacco flavor like if you just licked an ashtray. I really don't like how there's this harsh and slightly numbing spiciness at the beginning, though I do get some cinnamon out of it. I get a hint of olive brine but not too much. I really don't like how the palate is so much lighter than the nose because of the increased minerality. After a few minutes, the palate becomes more floral and a more clear musty, moldy paper flavor comes out that reminds me a little bit of my bottle of Centenario Reposado. I can't say I like this palate, unfortunately. It may be an acquired taste, but I'm finding it to be very challenging. F: The stale tobacco and mineral flavors are at the fore, with the rhum agricole squash funkiness remaining as well. The olive brine is essentially (or maybe entirely) gone. I get some floral notes. There's some hint of tropical fruit (pineapple) deep into the finish. The moldy paper mustiness lingers for a long time. This is a really interesting experience. I can't say I really like it, but it was worth trying and it might be a good example of its category (honestly, I have no idea). The minerality lightens the palate in a way that is disappointing after the nose is so rich and full, really bringing down the experience. I'm sure glad I didn't buy a full bottle. There's a lot going on, but it's a cacophony. I think I'd appreciate this more if I had more and I bet I could find a decent cocktail for it. I was thinking 8 to 12 and I think I'm landing on 10.

An intense, Sotol by Desert Door distillery in Driftwood, Texas produced with Dasylirion Texanum, or green desert spoon, cooked in a large custom steamer. Next, the plants are machine-shredded & then fermented in stainless steel tanks for 5 days using an organic, proprietary yeast. The resulting mash is distilled in their custom-build still. The spirit is adjusted to 40% ABV using purified water before being bottled. It has an herbaceous & spicy birth; while a creamy life adds notes of agave, grass, lime, pink peppercorn, sage, hints of thyme, hyssop, toffee & earth; that led to a bold & peppery death. August / September 2020

I'm not particularly versed on brand laws in Mexico, but I was under the impression it couldn't be called sotol outside of a few regions? Anyway, whatever, this is sotol, no matter what the branding people say. Sotol from Texas, no less. This was my first sotol, and I really quite enjoyed it. Less smoke than a Mezcal, more interesting than tequila. I got a lot of grass and soil, but in a nice way, and something spicy, maybe black pepper? Someone else on youtube said white pepper, but I don't think that's quite right. Additionally, there is some subtle smoke happening as well. All in all, I really enjoyed this.

The nose is interesting with a vegetal, herbal and slightly smokey presence. The palate follows the nose with the addition of sweet synthetic oil and alkaline minerals The finish is toasted tobacco, cinnamon and more green vegetal and herbs I actually liked this expression over the oak aged. This sotol was very direct where the aged version was having a tough time figuring out what it was. The oak aged was a little easier to drink but also much less interesting

Earthy and vegetal on the nose with some summer rain. Creamy/buttery. Finish reminds me of lime zest, but without the sour/tangy lime taste. Little-to-no smoke on the nose or taste, but i am finding a woody note somewhere in there even though it is not barrel aged.

Strong herbal notes on the palate with hints of sweetness. Tastes very “muted” though, you can tell it was diluted to proof. Makes a great mixer; far from bad but somewhat disappointing as a sipper. I imagine it’d be awesome at a higher proof.