Sotol, Sotol Ono

• Sotol produced in Aldama, Chihuahua • Maestro Sotolero Don Gerardo Ruelas Hernandez • 100% Dasylirion cedrosanum  • Cooked in shallow pits fueled by willow and oak • Shredded by axe and knife  • Open-air fermented in masonry tanks • Distilled twice using traditional copper pot stills • Aromas of pine tar, alfalfa, black pepper, vanilla bean, cacao, and almond skin • 45% ABV  Prolific sotolero Don Gerardo Ruelas (also known for his work with brands Flor del Desierto and La Higuera) distills some of the most dense, baritone examples of sotol that we’ve tasted thus far. By contrast, Sotol Ono is his cocktail-friendly label, focused exclusively on Dasylirion cedrosanum, a slender species with leaves like razor wire, harvested in the valleys of the Coyame Desert. Don Gerardo’s cedrosanum is lighter on its feet than his typical work, straddling a balance between the earthier, low-elevation Dasylirion leiophyllum and the resinous, herbal profile of high-altitude Dasylirion wheeleri bottlings (i.e. the other two species most commonly used in commercial Chihuahuan sotol).