Review: Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Rustico and Sotol Anejo

Hacienda de Chihuahua has been producing sotol in the desert of Chihuahua since the 19th century, using a non-industrial process that seems to be unchanged for much of its existence. The distillery offers a surprisingly large portfolio of aged and unaged sotol, even a pair of sotol-based cream liqueurs. Today we’re taking an initial look at a blanco and anejo expression. Both sotols are made from pinas of the Dasylirion plant harvested from the High Chihuahuan Desert in Northern Mexico. Thoughts follow.

NOM 159.

Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Rustico Review

Crystal clear, the sotol noses with a bright sweetness and ample acidity, a showcase for overripe apples and bubblegum, tamarind candy, and brown banana. While not smoky, it does smell cooked — acidic and sharp, with a lingering, peppery pungency.

The palate is again very sharp and pushy, extremely fruity and overripe, and rather hard to place. The fruit veers into citrus and ginger, searing the palate with more acidity and rustic funk. Grassy notes creep into the fold as it develops, moving from there into a more smoldering, wet earthiness. Chalky minerals give the finish a further pastoral quality, while a squeeze of lime and citrus on the finish perk up for a brighter way out.

Fans of more aggressive tequilas and mezcals with less of a smoky character should enjoy it.

90 proof. B+ / $50

Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Anejo Review

This sotol is made from the same slow-cooked and fermented Dasylirion pinas, but it then undergoes a triple distillation process before aging for two full years in new French oak barrels. It is bottled at a bare minimum 38% abv.

The oak has imbued a very subtle, golden hue, even after two long years of aging, but its time in the barrel is more obvious in the aroma which showcases big top notes of split vanilla bean and softer baking spice, all of which are nicely complemented by the sotol’s underlying sweetness. The barrel has tamed the acidity, but traces remain with undertones of cooked pineapple, guava, and that same pink bubblegum note we encountered in the blanco. As it opens, things sweeten further with ripe melon and cotton candy notes.

The palate isn’t nearly as bracingly sweet or piercing as the blanco. And nowhere near as complex. The mouthfeel is comparatively thin and watery, even accounting for the reduction in proof, and flavor struggles to find much footing. Whispers of sweet vanilla taffy, cinnamon sugar, and something vaguely vegetal are the most you can hope for until the finish when a bit of cracked black pepper, cedar, and clove offer, at last, a reason to go back for another easy-drinking sip. Inoffensive but lacking character, it’s a decent way to start your sotol journey, but I can’t help wondering what this might taste like at a more respectable abv. -DB

76 proof. B- / $50

The post Review: Hacienda de Chihuahua Sotol Rustico and Sotol Anejo appeared first on Drinkhacker: The Insider’s Guide to Good Drinking.