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Bienvenido Fernández
Sotol Wheeleri

The Maestro of the Sierra.

Bienve has been distilling sotol since he could carry the bar to knock down the dasylirion stem.

A 4th generation maestro, and legendary storyteller, Bienve has always smiled in the face of adversity. Evading the eye of authorities, he embraced a nomadic life to traverse mountain ranges with the aid of his favorite donkey to carry his copper still. As he traveled, he crafted batches of sotol, lechuguilla, and ensambles from the plants he encountered along the trail.

Distilled in Madera, a city located in the northwest of Chihuahua, at an altitude of 6,900 feet above sea level, this area is known for its coniferous forest vegetation. Its high altitude provides a cool subtropical climate, with humid summers and cold and dry winters.

Batches:

  • BF-WHE-01

    June 2022, 49.4% ABV, rested 15 months in glass

  • BF-WHE-02

    Jan. 2023, 49.13% ABV, rested 8 months in glass

  • BF-WHE-03

    Feb. 2023, 49.78% ABV, rested 7 months in glass

  • BF-WHE-04

    Feb. 2023, 47.45% ABV, rested 7 months in glass

  • BF-WHE-05

    June 2023, 46.8% ABV, rested 12 months in glass, 18 cases

  • BF-WHE-06

    February 2024, 50.79% ABV, rested 6 months in glass, 16 cases

  • BF-WHE-07

    February 2024, 52.65% ABV, rested 6 months in glass, 11 cases

  • BF-WHE-08

    March 2024, 51.6% ABV, rested 5 months in glass, 11 cases

MAESTRO VINATERO – Bienvenido Fernández, 4th generation 

RAW MATERIAL – 100% wild Dasylirion Wheeleri (the sotol plant) 

VIÑATA – Madera, Chihuahua, MX 

PLANT SOURCE – Madera, Chihuahua, MX 

SOURCE CLIMATE – Borders coniferous forests & arid high desert, humid summers but cold & dry winters, elevation 6,900’ 

PLANT MATURITY – Madurado en verde 15 years 

ROAST – 3 days in an underground conical horno with pine wood, covered with volcanic stone 

CRUSH – Mechanical 

WILD FERMENTATION – 7 days in stainless steel & tomba 

DISTILLATION – Stainless steel alembic, first with pine wood & then with gas 

ADJUSTMENT METHOD – With well water until it is parejo 

TASTING NOTES
Aroma – Orange zest, rosemary, juniper
Taste – Pine sap, maple syrup, Lime pith |
Texture – Sticky, idling, satisfying 

Production Process

Sotol
Bienve collects his sotol wheeleri plants near the city of Madera. These plants grow near a coniferous forrest at an altitude of nearly 7,000'.
Cook
The sotol piñas are roasted for 3 days in an earthen oven with pine wood. The oven is conical, and covered with volcanic stones during the cook.
Mill
Bienve uses a small mechanical mill to process the cooked sotol.
Ferment
Fermentation is done in stainless steel tanks and tombas. It is completely natural with ambient yeast, and takes about 7 days.
Distill
Distillation is done in stainless steel. The first pass is with pine wood, and then gas is used during the second distillation so that the temperature can be controlled with increased precision.