La Nina del Mezcal Sotol
La Niña del Mezcal Sotol is the desert spoon, not the agave — a 97.8-proof (48.9% ABV) sotol in a 750mL bottle, distilled from 100% wild Dasylirion cedrosanum in Aldama, Chihuahua, by maestro sotolero Gerardo Ruelas. Sotol carries its own Mexican Denomination of Origin (Chihuahua, Coahuila, Durango) — this is not a mezcal and not a tequila, despite what the old listing said. Piñas are roasted in a stone-lined underground oven fueled by walnut wood, fermented in open-air pine vats, and double-distilled in copper pot stills. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 97.8 proof (48.9% ABV) — 750mL
- Spirit: 100% wild Dasylirion cedrosanum (desert spoon, not agave)
- Origin: Aldama, Chihuahua, Mexico — Sotol Denomination of Origin
- Producer: maestro sotolero Gerardo Ruelas; La Niña del Mezcal
- Process: walnut-wood oven roast, pine-vat ferment, double copper distillation
The Spirit That Put Sotol on American Shelves
La Niña del Mezcal was founded by certified mezcalier Cecilia Rios Murrieta, the first exporter to ship all three of Mexico's protected spirit categories — mezcal, bacanora, and sotol — into the United States. This sotol is the northern chapter of that story: desert-spoon distillate from the Sierra del Diablo region, produced the slow way by one of Chihuahua's veteran maestros. Browse the La Niña del Mezcal collection or explore Del Mesa's sotol shelf.
Tasting Notes
Grapefruit and fresh jalapeño on the nose with walnut and a breath of lavender; a soft, inviting texture for the proof; earthy, vegetal, and mineral through the finish (mezcalreviews.com).
How to Enjoy
Neat, at room temperature, in a copita or small rocks glass — sotol rewards sipping like a fine mezcal. Try it after a blanco tequila to taste what desert spoon does differently from agave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is sotol the same as mezcal?
No — sotol is distilled from Dasylirion (desert spoon), a different plant from agave, and carries its own Denomination of Origin covering Chihuahua, Coahuila, and Durango.
What is the ABV?
48.9% ABV (97.8 proof), per the importer.
Who makes it?
Maestro sotolero Gerardo Ruelas in Aldama, Chihuahua, for the La Niña del Mezcal brand.
The north's answer to agave spirits — order La Niña del Mezcal Sotol online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.