About Sotol

Bienvenido is a producer from Ciudad Madera Chihuahua who has more than 40 years of experience producing sotol.

Bienvenido learned this art form from his grandfather and father, who used to produce in clandestine mobile vinatas (local name for distillery) that were immersed in the heart of the Northern Chihuahuan Sierra. At 67 years of age he recently completed his elementary school degree, proof of his tenacity and determination to succeed. He cooks the plants underground on a pit oven with stones and oak wood, after cooking for three days he will grind the cooked sotol with a mechanical grinder then he will let it ferment with natural airborne yeast in stainless steel tanks, while fermenting he will add well water to the fermentation tanks.

He then distills in a stainless steel pot still two times, at the end he´ll use well water to get the desired ABV. His batches range in the 120 to 160 liter range. His production style leans toward the ensamble using both dasylirion and agave plants in different quantities. This helps to maintain production levels during the summer when sotol fermentation is slower.

Clande is a Brand that celebrates the art and tradition of craft spirits. Clandestine distilleries used to be found in Northern Mexico and were known as “Vinatas.”

These facilities were used to produced Sotol and Lechuguilla both Mexican distilled spirits from the Dasylirion and Agave plant respectively. Vinatas were prohibited in the early 1900’s and “Maestros Sotoleros” were persecuted and sometimes incarcerated. Our line encompasses sotol from different regions and purports to reflect the impact of terroir on this beautiful spirit. Our collective project seeks to support small local producers and improve their standards of living, as well as assuring the future of the dasylirion plant. Another of our priorities is to rebuild the story of the sotol category.