EP. 39 Sotol: Distilling A Texas Spirit

Brent Looby, Co-Founder of Desert Door, is no stranger to difficult endeavors and is trailblazing the spirits industry with an wild-harvested plant called, Sotol.  After a career of flying jets in the Marine Corps, he and fellow Veterans, Ryan and Judson, decided to start distilling what they believe captures the essence of Texas.  Brent talks about what it takes to enter a highly competitive, highly regulated and capital intensive industry.  He says much of what is takes, is not fully knowing.  He describes the benefit of not having all the facts before you start, because if most folks knew how hard it was, they wouldn't even try.  Brent shares the intricacies of the Sotol plant and how this ancient crop that was once forgotten, was actually one of the earliest spirits created.  Over the years they have developed a strong reverence for this wild-harvested plant and its applications beyond making a great spirit.  Sotol, is a plant strong enough to use as a tool and delicate enough to nurture livestock when a severe drought hits.  Brent also shares the importance of understanding who you are as a brand and the importance of listening to your customer.  In the early days of Desert Door, the Team was very particular on how they wanted their audience to perceive and interact with their product.  What they found is that all walks of life enjoyed their bottles of Sotol and to dictate a universal perspective didn't make much sense- Let folks enjoy as they please.  Brent also talks about the importance of taking care of the environment and how that is not only directly correlated to good stewardship but also good future profits.  Desert Door's revival of Sotol, is taking the industry by force and and is changing the way folks celebrate good times.