Mexican spirit aficionados could see more sotol at their local bar soon— but it might not be from Mexico. Desert Door, the first commercially-produced sotol in the U.S., announced on Thursday distribution to ten new states with Southern Glazer’s Wine & Spirits.
The expansion hints at sotol’s gradual inroads into the mainstream and spotlights how even producers north of the border are benefitting from the rise of Mexican spirits.
“Texas Sotol could easily exceed the popularity of agave spirits as a superior spirit not only in taste, but also in its impact to the environment. We look forward to introducing the spirit across the nation in partnership with Southern Glazer’s,” said Ryan Campbell, co-founder and CEO of Desert Door in a statement.
While often confused with an agave spirit, the traditional Mexican distillate is made from the dasylirion plant, a shrub commonly referred to as sotol. The distillation process is similar to mezcal, but unlike agaves, sotol can be harvested without killing the plant— a sustainable quality that could bode well for the spirit’s future.
While earlier entrants to the market such as Sotol Hacienda de Chihuahua positioned themselves as a low-ABV alternative to tequila, a newer crop of Mexican sotols like Clande Sotol, La Higuera and Fabriquero have been carving a path for the spirit to appeal to mezcal fans by offering a range of expressions from different producers and regions. Now, brands like Desert Door could help popularize Texas sotol too. Although the spirit is too niche for official tracking, tequila’s and mezcal’s growth rates have soared over the past few years, and the agave spirits category could surpass vodka in a number of years, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States.
Positioning Texas sotol as superior to agave spirits is a slightly controversial statement coming from the producer of a state-side version of a traditionally Mexican spirit. While sotol’s designation of origin (DO) restricts its official labeling to three northern Mexican states, the plant and distillates can be found as far south as Oaxaca and now up to the southwestern U.S. Unlike tequila and mezcal, sotol’s DO is not recognized by the U.S., allowing a few other Texas distillers like Marfa Spirits Co to get into the sotol game with American-made versions. The trickle in of Texas sotol into the niche category has sparked some accusations of cultural appropriation by U.S. brands.
But the popularization of Texas sotol is likely inevitable as brands seek to ride the mezcal wave, according to Bryant Orozco, a bar consultant and Mexican beverage writer based in Los Angeles. In a similar fashion, Orozco noted that agave spirit brands have sprung up recently out of South Africa and India to meet the agave distillate demand.
“I think U.S. sotol is going to be something that’s inevitable, and we need to embrace growth but with respect for the culture and tradition of Mexican spirits,” he said. Naming something as a dasylirion distillate instead of sotol is one way a U.S. producer could honor the denomination of origin despite that they are not legally required to.
But that’s not likely for brands that are building off sotol’s momentum. Tides are changing for the category as consumers grow more savvy and adventurous, according to Campbell.
“It’s our sincere hope that our success, and this expansion, will drive the success of all sotol, but more than that, we hope people will come to appreciate the hard work we’ve put into our handcrafted spirit,” he said.
Campbell and his co-founders Brent Looby and Judson Kauffman launched Desert Door in 2017 in Driftwood, Texas, inspired to produce a spirit by and for Texans. The company wild harvests dasylirion texanum, a strain of sotol native to the west Texas desert. It offers two expressions, Original Texas Sotol and Oak Aged Texas Sotol. Early this year the company doubled its production capacity.
“We’re ready for everyone and their dad to pick up a bottle of Desert Door,” said Campbell.
With the new agreement Desert Door will expand into 10 new markets beginning in September, placing the brand in 14 states total. It is currently available in Colorado, Georgia, Tennessee and, of course, Texas. The expansion will place the product in retailers in Kansas, Missouri, Louisiana, New Mexico, Arizona, South Carolina, Arkansas, California, Florida and Oklahoma in late 2022.