Sotol 'Cucharilla - Oaxaca'

• Sotol produced in Mixteca Alta, Oaxaca
• Maestro Palenquero Lazaro “Hacha” Monjaraz
• 100% Cucharilla (Dasylirion serratifolium)
• Cooked in a conical underground oven
• Milled by hand with mallet (mazo) and machete
• Naturally fermented in open-air wooden tanks (tinas)
• Distilled twice in traditional Filipino-style hybrid clay and steel pot still
• Nose full of goat cheese, honey, and roasted barley; the palate moves from sweet grains to savory grilled vegetables and smoked meats in one long, beautiful arc.
• 48.2% ABV (ABV may vary batch to batch)

Cucharilla, or “little spoon” in Spanish, is the common name in Oaxaca for the Dasylirion genus—widely known in Northern Mexico as Sotol. Often called “desert spoon” in the US, Dasylirion is very similar to agave, but unlike agave has an annual reproductive cycle after reaching maturity (at 8–15 years), and thus, does not die after it flowers and propagates. Likewise, the plant’s heart can be harvested and used to distill, leaving the root structure below intact to regenerate (over another 8–15 years). Examples of Dasylirion serratifolium have been found at over 100 years of age! High in fiber content—which leads to bold vegetal notes when distilled—the “little spoon” or “desert spoon” name is drawn from the shape of the leaf (penca); its bowl-shaped joint structure was often used as a makeshift spoon by indigenous communities all across Central America and Southwestern North America.

Tasting Notes

Cucharilla, or “little spoon” in Spanish, is the common name in Oaxaca for the Dasylirion genus—widely known in Northern Mexico as Sotol. Often called “desert spoon” in the US, Dasylirion is very similar to agave, but unlike agave has an annual reproductive cycle after reaching maturity (at 8–15 years), and thus, does not die after it flowers and propagates. Likewise, the plant’s heart can be harvested and used to distill, leaving the root structure below intact to regenerate (over another 8–15 years). Examples of Dasylirion serratifolium have been found at over 100 years of age! High in fiber content—which leads to bold vegetal notes when distilled—the “little spoon” or “desert spoon” name is drawn from the shape of the leaf (penca); its bowl-shaped joint structure was often used as a makeshift spoon by indigenous communities all across Central America and Southwestern North America.