Sotol captures the unique desert terroir of the region, and it’s known for its sweet and smoky flavors, whereas tequila has more notes of citrus. Tequila, mezcal and sotol are all different from one another. While tequila itself is technically a mezcal, different distillation processes and agave plant types create a distinction between the two.

While they are similar, the biggest difference here is that Sotol is made from Dassylirion and Mezcal (of which Tequila is the best known type) comes from agave. As you go deeper into the world of sotol, you'll quickly notice other key differences from its agave-based cousin, tequila.