Day Trips: Desert Door Distillery, Driftwood
Discover the world of sotol at this Driftwood distillery
By Gerald E. McLeod, Fri., Sept. 13, 2024
Desert Door Distillery opens a portal to explore the world of sotol in their tasting room outside of Driftwood.
Sotol is an alcoholic beverage made for centuries from the Dasylirion plant native to the Chihuahua Desert of Mexico that looks like a large, spiked sea urchin or the yucca plant. The center of the plant was cooked and eaten by natives, and the fiber of the sharp leaves was woven into household items or used as utensils giving it the name “desert spoon.” The plant grows north into Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas and is a popular drought-resistant landscape plant.
The spirit tends to be smoother than tequila or mezcal with a slightly smoky flavor, and can be sipped neat or in a cocktail. The best place to start your exploration of sotol is with a taster’s flight illustrating variations on finishes offered by the tasting room’s friendly and knowledgeable staff.
Opened in 2017, Desert Door Distillery is the first commercial sotol producer in the U.S. Founded by UT MBA grads Ryan Campbell, Judson Kauffman, and Brent Looby, the distillery uses Dasylirion texanum, a species native to West Texas.
From the road, the distillery looks like most any Hill Country warehouse plopped down in a rancher’s pasture. Inside the tasting room has the look and feel of a high-end hotel bar. Outside the large covered patio is very nice, but doesn’t take advantage of the surrounding scenic views. There is a food truck on-site to cure the munchies.
When visiting, please drink responsibly. The surrounding roads are crowded and narrow.
Desert Door Distillery is at 211 Darden Hill Rd. off FM 150 not far from the original Salt Lick BBQ. The tasting room opens at noon, Thursday through Sunday. Tours of the distillery happen on Saturday and Sunday, September through December. For more information and to reserve a tour, go to www.desertdoor.com.
1,720th in a series. Everywhere is a day trip from somewhere: Follow “Day Trips & Beyond,” a travel blog, at austinchronicle.com/daily/travel.
