Sotol Stokes Controversy—but for Some, It’s Just a Taste of Home

Sotol is often spoken of alongside the agave-based spirits tequila and mezcal, but it’s made from a different plant. The source of the earthy liquor is the desert spoon, or common sotol, a member of the spiny-leafed genus Dasylirion endemic to the Chihuahuan Desert.Sotol’s terroir gives it the aroma of arid soil after a light rain shower, and its taste is herbaceous and refreshing. The spirit has traditionally been made in Mexico, but because its immense growing region spills into the United States, Texas producers have entered the game—and that has sparked controversy. In 2002 Mexico established a denomination of origin (DO) for sotol, declaring that distillers could use the name only if they made the liquor in the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Coahuila, or…

The post Sotol Stokes Controversy—but for Some, It’s Just a Taste of Home appeared first on Texas Monthly.