Founders and U.S. veterans Ryan Campbell, Judson Kauffman and Brent Looby first pitched the idea for a boozy business during class. Not only is the trio paving the way for the sotol niche in Texas, but they are also acutely aware of the environment and how to coexist with nature when it comes to harvesting the plant in far West Texas.
“We don’t plant anything,” Campbell said. “We harvest our plants from the wild and take only a small number of plants from each acre over the course of 12 years. Each plant will go that long without being touched again. We also leave the root systems intact, which allows it to regenerate in the wild.”
Sotol is a West Texas and Mexican shrub that grows in the desert and is more commonly known as a desert spoon. Unlike tequila and mezcal, sotol is not made from agave. Once the plant is harvested, the leaves are trimmed and the hearts are loaded for transport to the distillery. After reaching the distillery, the hearts are cooked with steam, which converts the stored energy into sugar. They are then pressed for their juice and fermented in tanks for five to six days, where they are combined with organic, proprietary yeast.
“There are only three ingredients,” Campbell said. “The plant, water and yeast.”
After that, the mash is distilled in a custom-built, hybrid still where it averages 155 proof when finished, he said. Next, it is reconciled with water to bring it down to its appropriate proof, which is 120 proof for barrel aging in new American oak barrels and 80 proof for spirits going directly into bottles.
The process from harvest to bottle is about 14 days for the 80-proof sotol, and one year for barrel-aged sotol.
The three most popular drinks of the current offerings are the Rancharita, the Sotol Sangria and the Spicy Matadoor, Campbell said. There are several others to choose from, and each week the distillery offers a different bartender’s choice.
“We started researching this in college for a class project,” Campbell said. “What we found just completely changed our lives. Come out on a weekend and give us a try.”
Desert Door Distillery
211 Darden Hill Road
512-829-6129
www.desertdoor.com
Hours: Thu. noon-8 p.m., Fri. noon-9 p.m., Sat. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m., Sun. noon-6 p.m., closed Mon.-Wed.
