‘A Bit Audacious’: Mexican Distillery Acrónimo Spirits Unveils First Gin Finished With Sotol

(Photo: Acrónimo Spirits)

On Tuesday, Chihuahua-based Acrónimo Spirits unveiled what it claims to be the first-ever gin finished with sotol. Here’s why we think the concept could be an absolute winner.

Sotol, sometimes incorrectly referred to as the “third” agave spirit, is distilled from desert spoon shrubs found throughout northern Mexico, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona. Though similar at first glance to agave, its leaves are much thinner and more leathery, growing in dense clusters that shoot up a characteristic flowering spike that can reach 10 to 15 feet tall. Once distilled, its flavor leans bright and grassy, not unlike a salmiana mezcal or a terroir-forward gin.

Acrónimo Spirits picked up on the similarity.

The brand’s new liquor begins with locally harvested botanicals including juniper, cardamom, anise, red pepper, lavender and grapefruit. After steeping for 14 days, the gin is distilled before being finished with 17% sotol blanco, a nod to the Chihuahuan desert from which nearly all of the world’s sotol is sourced.

Acrónimo is the brainchild of sister and brother Alessandra Camino Creel and Jose Luis Creel. The duo teamed up with fifth-generation sotol producer Casa Ruelos last month to launch their inaugural product, Acrónimo Sotol. The brand’s gin is bottled at 42% ABV and is now available through select retailers at a suggested price of $54.99.

“Earlier this year, we introduced Acrónimo Sotol Blanco and are excited to follow in quick succession with the rollout of the world’s first gin finished with Sotol,” Alessandro Camino Creel remarked in a news release. “We want Sotol to do for Chihuahua what Mezcal did for Oaxaca and think a key driver for that will be innovation. While it could be viewed as a bit audacious to finish a fine gin with Sotol, we see it as an intriguing way to expand Sotol’s global reach.”

Thanks in part to the popularity of tequila and mezcal, sotol has witnessed a meteoric rise in recognition among American consumers over the past year. New brands have been hitting the market at an unprecedented pace. Even celebrities — namely, musician and actor Lenny Kravitz — are getting in on the action.

At this point in the cycle, experimentation is key to sticking out. Last October, Los Magos Sotol uncorked an expression aged in 10-year rye whiskey casks sourced from the legendary WhistlePig distillery.

In the spirit of innovation, we think that gin and sotol may be an even better combination. From their herbal character to their earthy bite, the two alcohols share an underlying DNA that, until recently, would never have been explored on a commercial level. We’re eager to see how this one turns out.