Puntagave "Rustico" Sotol Blanco

Puntagave "Rustico" Sotol Blanco is distilled not from agave but from the Desert Spoon plant, a wild-growing agavacea native to the Chihuahuan Desert of northern Chihuahua. Maestro producer Jacob Jacquez harvests plants that have spent up to fifteen years maturing on the open mountainside, building reserves of natural energy before the hearts are slow steam-cooked, fermented, and double-distilled in copper pot stills. Bottled at 86 proof, this sotol occupies a category older than tequila — with a documented history among indigenous peoples of northern Mexico stretching back over 800 years — yet remains one of the least-known spirits in the Lincoln Park market. Puntagave operates under the guidance of a production team with deep roots in French enology, applying Old World precision to a distinctly northern Mexican tradition. The Desert Spoon thrives in the arid Chihuahuan landscapes of Chihuahua, Durango, and Coahuila, regions too harsh for most cultivated agave. After harvest, the piñas are steam-cooked rather than roasted in earthen pits, yielding a cleaner, more herbaceous profile than most mezcal. The double distillation in copper pot stills preserves the plant's grassy, mineral character while refining the spirit's natural brightness. The nose opens with fresh herbs, hay, dried sotol, faint smoke, lime, and pine — a distinctly high-desert aromatic profile. On the palate, the spirit is buttery-smooth, with a sour backbone that gives way to pecan shell, pine nuts, roasted almonds, cooked artichoke, light honey, and delicate floral perfume. The finish is long and balanced, with none of the heavy char typical of pit-roasted agave spirits. It is best enjoyed neat, where the full spectrum of grassy, mineral, and quietly smoky flavors can unfold. Sotol also works beautifully in stirred cocktails that traditionally call for blanco tequila or mezcal joven, lending a drier, more herbaceous edge. Puntagave "Rustico" Sotol Blanco is available for pickup at Off Premise Chicago, 1128 W Armitage Ave in Lincoln Park, as well as local Chicago delivery and nationwide shipping.