Beyond tequila and mezcal, Mexico has three more protected spirits worth knowing: sotol from the desert spoon plant of Chihuahua, bacanora from Sonora's wild agave, and raicilla from Jalisco's coastal tabernas — each with its own denomination of origin, its own plant and its own flavour country. At Del Mesa Liquor, our family-owned store in San Diego, California, the mezcal and agave spirits collection shelves five bottles that cover all three, from Aguamiel Bacanora Blanco at $39.99 to the single-taberna La Venenosa Raicilla Costa at $109.99 — all available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
Three Spirits, Three Landscapes
Sotol is not agave at all: it is distilled from Dasylirion — desert spoon — a wild shrub of the Chihuahuan Desert, and its denomination covers Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. The flavour runs earthy, herbal and mineral, closer to a desert garden than a fruit orchard. Bacanora is Sonora's agave spirit, made from Agave Yaquiana (Pacifica) under a denomination limited to 35 Sonoran municipalities — and it carries Mexico's best prohibition story, banned from 1915 to 1992 and distilled in secret for 77 years. Raicilla is Jalisco's other agave spirit, made in small tabernas in two styles — coastal (de la Costa) and mountain (de la Sierra) — and distilled in rustic Filipino-style stills part-built from hollowed tree trunks. If the smoky end of mezcal is your home, start with our mezcal age ladder guide, then come north and west to these three.
The Bottles in Stock
- Aguamiel Bacanora Blanco Mezcal — $39.99. 750mL, 41% ABV. Unaged bacanora from Suaqui Grande, Sonora — 100% Agave Yaquiana (Pacifica), the Sonoran form of Agave angustifolia, from one of the few registered bacanora brands sold internationally.
- Puntagave Rustico Sotol — $59.99. 750mL, 43% ABV (86 proof). Wild-harvested Dasylirion wheeleri, roughly 15-year-old plants pit-roasted over volcanic rock for 3–4 days, open-fermented, pot-distilled, rested 60 days and bottled unfiltered.
- Coyote Sotol Chihuahua Pink Label — $64.99. 750mL, 50% ABV (100 proof). Wild Dasylirion leiophyllum from Aldama, Chihuahua, cooked in an underground pecan-wood oven, pine-tub fermented and double-distilled in handmade copper alembics by maestro sotolero Gerardo Ruelas Hernandez — the boldest of the house's regional blancos.
- Santo Cuviso Uvalama Bacanora — $86.99. 750mL, 45% ABV (90 proof). 100% Agave angustifolia bacanora infused with wild uvalama fruit — two fruits in every hand-blown bottle, and all of its colour comes from the fruit, never from wood.
- La Venenosa Raicilla Costa — $109.99. 750mL, 45.5% ABV (91 proof). Coastal raicilla from a single taberna in Llano Grande, Cabo Corrientes: Rhodacantha and Angustifolia agaves cooked in a wood-fired adobe oven and double-distilled in a Filipino still by maestro tabernero Don Alberto Hernandez.
How to Drink Them
Pour all three the mezcal way first — neat, in a small glass, with time — because none of them hides behind oak. Aguamiel ($39.99) is the value door into Sonora: clean, herbal, unaged agave at a weeknight price. Sotol splits by proof: Puntagave Rustico ($59.99) is the terroir pour at 86 proof, while Coyote Chihuahua ($64.99) at 100 proof is earthy, citrus-driven and surprisingly fruit-forward for its strength. Santo Cuviso Uvalama ($86.99) is the conversation bottle — a traditional fruit infusion that drinks like a bridge between agave spirit and fruit liqueur without turning sweet. And La Venenosa Costa ($109.99) is the deep end: savory, dense and funky, with olive brine, pine, cedar and a bright acidity almost no other spirit shows. Browse the full sotol shelf and bacanora shelf, read our story on the about our store page, and find more guides on the Del Mesa blog index.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between sotol, bacanora and raicilla?
All three are protected Mexican spirits with their own denominations of origin. Sotol is distilled from desert spoon (Dasylirion, not agave) in Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. Bacanora is an agave spirit from Sonora, made from Agave Yaquiana. Raicilla is an agave spirit from Jalisco, made in small tabernas in coastal and mountain styles.
Is sotol a type of mezcal?
No. Sotol looks and drinks like mezcal's northern cousin, but it is made from desert spoon — a wild shrub related to asparagus, not an agave — and it holds its own denomination of origin covering Chihuahua, Coahuila and Durango. Its flavour runs earthier and more herbal than most mezcal.
Why was bacanora illegal for 77 years?
Sonora banned bacanora production in 1915, and the ban lasted until 1992. Vinateros kept distilling in secret throughout, which is why bacanora stayed a local secret while tequila and mezcal travelled. It received its own denomination of origin in 2000, limited to 35 municipalities in Sonora.
Where can I buy sotol, bacanora and raicilla online?
Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, California stocks Aguamiel Bacanora Blanco ($39.99), Puntagave Rustico Sotol ($59.99), Coyote Sotol Chihuahua Pink Label ($64.99), Santo Cuviso Uvalama Bacanora ($86.99) and La Venenosa Raicilla Costa ($109.99), all available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor with nationwide shipping where permitted.