Home

Bienvenido
Sotol
Cedrosanum

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.

The sotol plants for this expression are from Mapimí, Durango, a hot and arid desert region of around 4,250′. It is 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.

BF-CED-01
Oct. 2022, 51.12% ABV, rested 11 months in glass

BF-CED-02
Dec. 2022, 48.37% ABV, rested 9 months in glass

BF-CED-03
Dec. 2022, 49.23% ABV, rested 17 months in glass, 25 cases

Batches:

  • BF-CED-01

    Oct. 2022, 51.12% ABV, rested 11 months in glass

  • BF-CED-02

    Dec. 2022, 48.37% ABV, rested 9 months in glass

  • BF-CED-03

    Dec. 2022, 49.23% ABV, rested 17 months in glass, 25 cases

MAESTRO VINATERO – Bienvenido Fernández, 5th generation

MAESTRO TUMBADOR – Cruz, 1st generation

PLANT – 100% wild Dasylirion Cedrosanum  (the sotol plant)

VINATA – Madera, Chihuahua, MX

CLIMATE – Hot summers & mild, dry winters, elevation 4,250’

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 – 7-10 days in stainless steel, tomba, & pine lined pits

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

ADJUSTMENT METHOD – With colas until it is parejo

TASTING NOTES

  AROMA – Banana pudding, pine, wet earth

  TASTE – Citrus, red hots, walnuts

  TEXTURE – Enticing, complex, chewy

Production Process

Plant
Cedrosanum are harvested in the desert of Mapimí, Durango. For that reason, we call this a desert sotol even though it is distilled in the forest region.
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 with copper condensers. 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.