Hidden away in the rural desert communities and mountainous Sierra of Chihuahua, Sotol producers have laboured intensively for generations, surviving prohibition and persecution, all to keep their tradition of making small-batch, artisanal Sotol alive.

Los Sotoleros explores the life work of three Master Sotoleros and their understudies, who have forged an unbreakable bond with the spirit, their culture and communities, and the land upon which they depend.

As economic and environmental forces brought on by climate change wreak havoc on the rural way of life in Northern Mexico and consumer preferences in the spirits and cocktails world continue to evolve, the producers pin their hopes on Sotol – Northern Mexico’s answer to Tequila and Mezcal – to provide economic opportunities for their communities. At the same time they need to preserve – and begin cultivating – what’s left of the wild-harvested plant from which Sotol is derived so future generations can continue the tradition in a sustainable manner.

Los Sotoleros non-traditional story structure follows the path of Sotol’s production, interweaving visual representations of the cultural and environmental factors that face the industry, the producers and the people of Chihuahua with the artisanal, handcrafted process of the making of Sotol. With visual and storytelling elements from the film Ascension and themes from The Birth of Sake, Los Sotoleros explores the resiliency, hard work and passion of the producers as they strive to enrich their culture and communities.