Sotol Por Siempre

My first sotol, but i’ve acclimated over the first 20% of the bottle. A semi-impulse buy while browsing for mezcal (thanks high Distiller ratings!). On the nose, a crisp waft of mesquite smoke. Chalk. Lime rind. Yucca? A bit medicinal and antiseptic. Clean and dry. Medium-high viscosity. The flavors flash intensely, and only then begin to evolve. The palate is sharp with unaged spirit, but no harshness... just an electrifying vibrancy. The curtain raises with that same clean and dry (not oily) smoke followed by a brief simple syrup sweetness. Then a huge vegetal, coppery tang puckers the whole mouth with bitter lemon oils drying the cheeks and prevails for minutes, fading ever so slowly while adding limestone alkali. There is an unusual, unsalted meatiness that sets in... not the chewy ham of some Scotches, more of a chickeny flavor - perhaps alligator or rattlesnake. Something that was cooked in unseasoned cast iron, where the metal taste leeches in. The mouth waters throughout from the tanginess and minerality, and just begs you to take another sip. What a challenging and exciting pour. Perhaps moreso than any other spirit I’ve had, this screams of terrior - not just a sensory experience, but transcendental. This stuff damn near teleports you to the Mexican desert, and certainly feels out of place in my current midwestern winter. I can actually see and feel myself in the high desert, the day’s sweat dried into my dusty clothes, with nothing but nature, sky, and solitude for miles and miles. That just feels right. Cheers all. Try some if you haven’t... definitely won’t be for everybody, maybe even me. I’m both enamored and terrified of this stuff.

Unbelievable how much flavor is in this thing, and very distinctive. The flavor is very heavily hay, pitting soil & river rocks, a little bit of funk with a mineraly finish. Occasionally I got a bit of pineapple and dry smoke. It is impressive how rich & complex it is but I can’t imagine getting though a bottle of this, It’s a little too much for me.

For not being a tequila guy, this is pretty delicious. Very floral and a modest smoke continues to get more pronounced. Very smooth and some late heat.

Earth and citrus on the nose, with a little wet cement. Palate is like slap in the face with sweet lime followed by less intense earth and minerality. Finish is earthy minerality with a hint of smoke. An excellent spirit, easily worth the $50 I paid for it. There’s a funky note (don’t know how else to describe it) present throughout, but not in a bad way. I’d highly recommend this to someone, particularly if you want something sweet but unusual and different.