Sotol La Higuera Leiophyllum
If Wheeleri is where La Higuera begins, Leiophyllum is where the project makes its point: change the species, keep everything else the same, and you get an entirely different spirit. Distilled from Dasylirion leiophyllum, this is the wildest, most rustic expression in the line — the one collectors reach for when they want sotol at its most untamed. Founded by Esteban Morales, La Higuera crossed into the U.S. market in 2018 and is now distributed in more than 20 countries.
Produced in Aldama, Chihuahua by third-generation Maestro Sotolero Don Gerardo Ruelas, the plants are hand-harvested and cooked in a traditional underground conical pit fired with black oak, then hand-milled with machete and axe. Wild airborne yeasts drive a natural fermentation in 1,000-litre pine vats, followed by double distillation in copper alembic stills — the same process behind every La Higuera bottle, and proof of how much the plant itself decides the outcome.
Leiophyllum opens with wet soil, hay, and a whisper of ash and campfire smoke, more mineral and brooding than its siblings. The palate is dry and herbaceous with real weight — grass, damp wood, and a savoury edge — before the finish softens into stone fruit and a lingering earthiness that keeps unfolding as it sits in the glass. Pour it side by side with Wheeleri and Cedrosanum for the clearest picture of what species and terroir can do to the same maker's spirit.
- Master Sotolero: Gerardo Ruelas
- Species: Dasylirion Leiophyllum
- Origin: Aldama, Chihuahua, México
- Oven: Underground conical pit, fired with black oak
- Milling: Hand-cut with machete & axe
- Fermentation: Wild yeast, 1,000L pine vats
- Distillation: Double, copper alembic
- Volume: 700 ml
- 44° to 48°+ ( according to batch)
