Clande Sotol Lupe López Agave

Clande Sotol Lupe Lopez Agave is an agave spirit, not a sotol. The Clande project documents distillates across northern Mexico, where vinatas once made both sotol from Dasylirion and lechuguilla from agave, and this blue variant is bottled as a destilado de agave from 100% wild Agave shrevei in Chihuahua. Only 135 bottles were filled in this batch.

In the local tradition this kind of agave distillate is called lechuguilla, a regional name rather than a single species. The spirit is bold and uncompromising. The nose is strong and rustic, full of charcoal, farmyard and village earth, while the palate turns animalic and damp with a brutal streak of blue cheese, winter herbs and a touch of anise. Bottled at 46%, with strength varying by batch, it is a raw, terroir driven showcase of an agave rarely seen outside the region.