‘Tradition, Innovation and Friendship Converge’: Los Magos Sotol Debuts 6 Year Reserva

(Photo: Los Magos Sotol)

One of the biggest names in sotol is amping up the age statement in an unprecedented way.

Chihuahua-based Los Magos has just released its highly anticipated 6-Year Reserva, a 42% ABV expression that combines desert spoon’s terroir-driven bite with barrel notes of vanilla, clove and Christmas Spice.

According to the brand, Reserva was distilled by late fifth-generation sotolero Don Celso Jacquez. Very likely the only of its kind, just six barrels were ever distilled — an explanation for its $299 price tag.

“We have officially entered a new dimension of Mexican spirit culture, and sotol, which is currently on track in becoming the next hot Mexican spirit, is leading the charge,” explained Ryan Stock, CEO of Los Magos, in a press release.

“Seeing how well the 6-Year Reserva preserves the flavors of its native land is remarkable, and this is only the beginning.”

Often mistaken for an agave spirit, sotol acts more as a funky, herbaceous cousin to mezcal and tequila. Sotol is distilled from desert spoon succulents (Dasylirion wheeleri) found throughout Northern Mexico and Texas, a behemoth of a plant whose characteristic flowering spike can reach 10 to 15 feet tall.

While tequila and the agave plants used to make it are ubiquitous in southern regions of Mexico, sotol and desert spoon are hallmarks of northern states like Durango, Coahuila and Los Magos’ hometown of Chihuahua.

As mezcal trends to new heights of popularity, oft-underappreciated spirits like sotol have finally had their time to shine in the US.

In addition to generations-old Mexican distilleries, a wave of American investors are getting in on the action; Texas’ Desert Door Sotol can be found in liquor stores across the nation right alongside musician Lenny Kravitz’s latest unexpected venture, Nocheluna Sotol.

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