Clande Sotol (Purple) is made by maestro sotolero Lupe Lopez and is a pure expression of the sotol plant, distilled in a stainless steel.
About this sotol
Clande Sotol (Purple) is made by maestro sotolero Lupe Lopez, who learned how to distill from fellow Clande producer Bienvenido Fernandez. He cooks his sotol plants in an underground conical oven, grinds them using an axe, ferments with open air yeasts in stone and wooden tanks, and distills in a stainless steel still.
Clande Sotol
Clande Sotol is a brand that celebrates the art and tradition of craft spirits in Chihuahua. Clandestine distilleries used to be found in Northern Mexico and were known as “vinatas.” These facilities were used to produced both Sotol (from Dasylirion) and Lechuguilla (from Agave). Vinatas were prohibited in the early 1900s and Maestro Sotoleros were persecuted and sometimes incarcerated. Sotol Clande represents sotol from different regions and delivers the impact of terroir on this beautiful spirit. The project seeks to support small local producers and improve their standard of living, as well as protect the future of the Dasylirion plant. The ABV will vary by batch. Check your bottle for details.
The labels on their bottles are color coded. The YELLOW label is sotol made by Bienvenido Fernandez. The RED label is sotol made by Don Eduardo Arrieta. The PURPLE label is sotol made by Lupe Lopez. The GREEN label could be made by either Bienvenido Fernandez or Lupe Lopez, and it is an Ensamble that combines sotol and agave, which are cooked, milled, and distilled together. The BLUE label could be made by Bienvenido Fernandez, Lupe Lopez, or Tavi Torres, and it is made with 100% agave.
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meserole
73 reviewsSmell is grassy, musty, wet earth — classic sotol scents. In the mouth it’s a little bit warm–but not hot–tastes of petrol and cherries and fruit punch.
One of the only 100% wheeleri sotols in the hard-to-find (and now defunct) Clande brand. This is an exciting and unique spirit. I’d rank it above the red, but below the yellow and green. Probably would choose this over their blue lechugilla just because it is in fact a sotol and not just another “agave spirit”.
Lot 4, bottle 23. Purchased in Mercado Benito Juarez in Oaxaca City.
Smell is grassy, musty, wet earth — classic sotol scents. In the mouth it’s a little bit warm–but not hot–tastes of petrol and cherries and fruit punch.
One of the only 100% wheeleri sotols in the hard-to-find (and now defunct) Clande brand. This is an exciting and unique spirit. I’d rank it above the red, but below the yellow and green. Probably would choose this over their blue lechugilla just because it is in fact a sotol and not just another “agave spirit
TzotollineRaramuri
75 reviewsLote: 3, bottle 6 of 48; fermented April 2019, 46.8%
?- clear
?- drying impact.
Aromas of violet, pine cone, dry pine needle, raw encino wood, hay, wool blanket, stable/ranch house, warm plastic/rubber, yogurt.
Powerful and complex production aroma.
Average length and fine character.
?- astringent, slight coating effect; sufficient smooth alcohol; medium body.
Primarily sour, bitter, salty taste with highlights of sweetness. Buttery smoothness.
Flavors of mesquite smoke, waxy, roasted artichoke, pine nuts, pine cone, pines needle, wool/hay blanket, light rubbery character.
Concentrated flavor intensity, complex character, harmoniously bold balance.
Pleasant and very long finish.
Very good to excellent overall impression.
*Well balanced but palate is smokier than it should really be to highlight terroir/raw material more.
Learn more about organoleptic evaluation at the International Wine & Spirits Guild’s seminar in Fine Spirits,
or more on Agave Spirits certifications through the Agave Spirits Institute.
Lote: 3, bottle 6 of 48; fermented April 2019, 46.8%
?- clear
?- drying impact.
Aromas of violet, pine cone, dry pine needle, raw encino wood, hay, wool blanket, stable/ranch house, warm plastic/rubber, yogurt.
Powerful and complex production aroma.
Average length and fine character.
?- astringent, slight coating effect; sufficient smooth alcohol; medium body.
Primarily sour, bitter, salty taste with highlights of sweetness. Buttery smoothness.
Flavors of mesquite smoke, waxy, roasted artichoke
Tyler
665 reviewsThe purple color reflects the flavors in a way. Less grassy than other sotols. Dark fruit. Slight apple cider vinegar on the finish. Lupe López. Feb 18. 47.4%. Lot 1.
Jonny
729 reviewsLupe López. Feb 18. 47.4%. Lot 1. 17 bottles. Very faint aromas of orange peel, grapefruit, and mango. Tastes muddled in comparison to others in the Clande lineup. Still good! But more subdued. Flavor notes of dark fruit… grapes and overripe mango.