Bottles
Looks like Bacanora, $56.99-$73.99
Back story
It's no secret that Americans love tequila and mezcal. Annual sales of Mexican-made spirits, derived from the agave plant, have risen over the past two decades, from just under $1 billion in 2003 to $6 billion in 2022, according to the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, a trade group. .
But this may make Americans hungry for more Mexico. Enter Bacanora, another agave-based spirit — specifically, Kilinga Bacanora, a brand that launched in 2018 and has enjoyed its own sales success, with 235% growth in the U.S. last year alone.
So what is bacanora? As mentioned earlier, it is made from aloe vera, but is sourced from a specific region in Mexico – the Mexican state of Sonora. “It has its own unique history,” Rodrigo Bujorquez Bors, founder of Kilinga, told MarketWatch, pointing to the fact that bacanora has been made for three centuries, although it wasn't recognized as a distinct category with its own appellation until 2000.
Taste-wise, bacanora falls somewhere between mezcal and tequila—it's not as smoky as the former, but has plenty of the earthy quality of the latter. She already has a growing number of fans, although she is still hard to find. Perhaps that's what prompted a Bon Appétit writer to put it this way: “If you see a bottle of Albacanora on the shelf of your local liquor store, Don't think, just buy“.
Kilinga, the family-owned brand, is very much the vision of Burr, who named it after his mother, a woman he calls “the heart of the family.” He said he wanted to create a “seamless, bright Bacanora that evokes the beauty of the area.” The brand says its albacanora – there are four main expressions – varies depending on when the agave is harvested, which is sourced from the family farm, and how the spirit is aged.
What we think about them
Kilinga Bacanora is truly a delicious alternative to tequila and mezcal, with a flavor all its own – vegetal but refined, with a hint of smoke. In short, very drinkable, even on its own. Of the different Kilinga expressions I tried, I liked Silvestre ($64.99) the most — it adds a distinct floral touch to the blend and what the brand describes as a “subtle violet finish.” But blanco ($56.99) and anejo ($73.99) each have their own appeal.
How to enjoy it
As stated, these are great sippers in their own right. But the brand says you can easily use bacanora in cocktails — certainly margaritas (just replace the bacanora with tequila) but even in drinks ranging from an Old Fashioned to a daiquiri.
