5 Best Sotols For Discovering Mexico’s Third-Most-Famous Spirit

Tequila gets the headlines. Mezcal gets the mystique. But what of sotol, a historied and increasingly popular Mexican spirit that — despite first assumptions — isn’t even distilled from agave?

Sotol doesn’t benefit from the neat categorization of its contemporaries, and it’s all the better for it. The spirit is made from Dasylirion plants, a distant relative of asparagus native to the Chihuahuan Desert in northern Mexico and the Southwest United States. Following a fifty-year prohibition in its home country, the characteristically bright and grassy spirit is finally getting the spotlight it deserves — and we’ve got five recommendations fit for every level of aspiring enjoyer.

1. Hacienda de Chihuahua Plata Sotol

Price: ~$40

No sotol list would be complete without at least a passing mention of Hacienda de Chihuahua, the brand that single-handedly put sotol on the international map. Launched by the Elias Madero family in 1996, Hacienda is widely recognized as an innovator in the industry, popularizing the spirit at a time when sotol was misconstrued not as a form of tequila, but as a form of illicit moonshine. (So foundational is Hacienda de Chihuahua that it literally owns the domain for sotol.com).

With the earthy, wet flavors of herbs and leaves, as well as a distinct lingering aftertaste of banana, Hacienda de Chihuahua embodies many of sotol’s signature traits. The lineup runs remarkably deep as well: In addition to its Plata, Reposado and Añejo, customers can purchase the triple-distilled Platinum, the high-proof Rustico, a five-year Extra Aged brimming with maple notes, and not one but two sotol-based liqueurs. The Plata remains the ideal entry point — approachable, complex and about as widely available as sotol gets.

Best for: First-timers and cocktail builders

2. Sotol Por Siempre

Price: ~$45

Produced by the sixth-generation Jacquez family in the Sierra Madre Mountains of Chihuahua, Sotol Por Siempre is a purist’s expression of the spirit at its most traditional. Wild desert spoon plants are roasted underground for three to four days, hand-crushed with axes, wild-fermented in open-air vats and double-distilled in copper pot stills. The result, bottled at 45% ABV, opens with bright citrus and white flowers before growing herbal and vegetal, with wet stone, earth and a long, mildly smoky finish.

The spirit is a standout choice for home mixologists, though we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a substitute for tequila or mezcal. Instead, use it like you might a gin, pairing it with tonic water and a squeeze of lime or a thoughtful pour of dry vermouth.

Best for: Cocktail experimentation

3. Macabre Spirits Barrel-Aged Sotol

Price: ~$75

Years after the debut of their Dungeons & Dragons-themed whiskey, “Scream” star (and recent franchise returnee) Matthew Lillard and screenwriter Justin Ware reteamed for a barrel-aged sotol. Bottled at 47.5% ABV, the spirit is produced at an undisclosed Texas-based distillery before aging an unknown amount of time. An added bonus: each bottle ships with a 70-page horror novella written by “Midnight Mass” director Mike Flanagan. Having read the story cover to cover, we can vouch that it’s every bit as oddly delightful as the spirit it comes packaged with.

Two very different influences tug in opposite directions on the nose. A candied oak character brimming with maple sweetness, cream soda and faint bubblegum on one hand, and leathery, grass-tinged hints of lemongrass, patchouli, tobacco and potent spearmint on the other. The palate delivers on that promise and then some, packing in flavors of toffee, vanilla, toasted oak and blood orange alongside subtler hints of anise and fennel seed. It’s an uncompromisingly unique spirit, and though it doesn’t have much in common with other sotols, there’s no denying that it’s a statement piece to marvel at.

Best for: Open-minded drinkers and collectors

4. Clande Sotol Green Label

Price: ~$100

Clande Sotol is a spirits curator and educational resource bundled into one. The brand’s lineup of color-coded bottles represents different varietals and production methods, offering a window into how radically terroir can shape sotol’s flavor profile. Clande Sotol Yellow brings fruity bursts of banana and lemon, while the hand-milled Clande Sotol Red leans deeper with hints of chocolate, baking spices and caramelized sugar. All are fantastic in their own right, though our personal favorite is the one-of-a-kind Clande Sotol Green.

The spirit is distilled with both desert spoon and agave churique, making it something of a mashup between sotol and mezcal. The unusual combination yields an ultra-savory aroma stuffed to the brim with minerality, lime, fruit and funk. The palate gives way to tropical sweetness, undercut by a blast of smoke, woodiness, cream cheese and plenty more of that signature minerality. It’s a lot to take in all at once, and far from an approachable entrypoint to the category. If, however, you’ve sampled a few sotols and are interested in the next leg of the journey, then Clande Sotol Green is well worth seeking out.

Best for: Curious enthusiasts ready to commit to the deep end

5. Señor Sotol Ancestral

Price: ~$110

Señor Sotor Ancestral is the epitome of old school — an admittedly gimmicky term that’s thrown around far more often than it should in the spirits world. A “micro batch” release helmed by Durango-based sotolero Juan Conde, the liquid begins with wild-harvested shrubs cooked in underground volcanic rock pits lined with mesquite. They’re then crushed by axe, fermented in wooden coffin vats and twice distilled in clay before resting three to six months in glass.

The experience leans into a one-two punch of sweet and sour flavor. Musty hints of yeast, chamomile and green grape zig across the aroma, while the palate zags toward a heady combo of corn, fresh sliced apples, lemon juice, pine needles and minerality. It’s bottled at 51.4% ABV and tastes the part, lingering on the finish for ages with hints of smoked fruit and flower petals. Much like Clande Sotol Green Label, this is a bottling that’s not for the faint of heart, but the experience more than pays off for the discerning or otherwise adventurous drinker.

Best for: Exploring new horizons