Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave Review [In Depth]
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave
by: ALEX WANG
Founder, writer
Founder, writer
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave Details
Distillery: Shelter Distilling
Type & Region: Agave Spirit, USA
Alcohol: 47%
Composition: 100% blue weber agave
Aged: It’s not
Color: 0.0/2.0 on the color scale (clear)
Price: $125
From the company website:
Created from 100% Blue Weber Agave harvested from Yolo County, California, and processed and distilled in Mammoth Lakes, California. This agave spirit is at the forefront of a uniquely California experience, bringing farmers and distillers together to create a whole new category of spirits.
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave overview
There’s a lot to unpack with Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave Spirit. First off, who the heck is Shelter Distilling? I definitely wondered that when they contacted me. First off, Shelter Distilling, founded in 2017, is located in Mammoth Lakes, California. If you don’t know where that is, it’s northwest of Fresno by Yosemite National Park, and not too far from the California-Nevada border. It’s out there off the beaten path.
They make a range of spirits, including bourbon, malt whiskey, gin, agave spirit (not quite tequila), and more. As you already know, the topic of this review is their Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave Spirit. Yolo refers to Yolo County, California, where the agave is grown.
There are multiple reasons why this is called agave spirit and not tequila or mezcal. While this spirit has just about all the qualifications to be called tequila, there’s one major difference – everything was grown and distilled in California instead of Jalisco, Mexico. Just like Scotch can only be made in Scotland, making virtually the same thing in Taiwan makes it Taiwanese single malt. And this Yolo Agave Spirit captures California’s version of tequila, knowing that it’s not at all tequila.
Even though it’s not tequila, Shelter distilling brings modern takes to traditional practices. If you want to know all the ins and outs of how this was made, I highly recommend that you go to their website to learn more. They provide a lot of detail to the agave, the terroir, processing, distillation, and more. It’s worth reading.
Here’s a bulleted summary of how it was made
- 100% Blue Weber agave grown in Yolo County, CA
- No additives
- Piñas are quartered by hand and shredded in a wood chipper (before cooking of any kind)
- Shredded agave is steam cooked in our stainless-steel mash tun for 3 days at 150-160F. We shred the agave first since we don’t have a press.
- We hold back the solids at this point and draw off the sweet liquid into sanitized stainless steel fermentation tanks where yeast is added. Solids are added back into the fermentation tanks.
- After fermentation, we distill the wash twice. The first run is a quick stripping run through our pot still without our column. The second run is slow and careful through the same pot still but with our 5 plate column connected (plates open).
- We cut the heads and tails in this run.
We slow proof the spirit to 94, bottle, then let the agave age in glass for 3 weeks
There are some modern takes on the traditional tequila-making process. The pinas are cut, but before cooking and with a wood chipper, not by hand. The agave is steam cooked for 3 days in a stainless steel “oven”, which is similar to the longer process done in ovens, but with modern metal equipment.
If you know my blog, you know I mainly review American whiskey. As of when I posted this review, I had exactly 0 agave spirits reviews. I am not much of a tequila or agave spirits reviewer, but I’m exploring it and want to learn. When Shelter Distilling (well their media company) approached me asking if I wanted to try their whiskeys, their agave caught my eye and I wanted to try it. They kindly included this bottle, which I admit is a risk on their part given that I’m nobody in the agave spirits world.
If you know my blog, you know I mainly review American whiskey. As of when I posted this review, I had exactly 0 agave spirits reviews. I am not much of a tequila or agave spirits reviewer, but I’m exploring it and want to learn. When Shelter Distilling (well their media company) approached me asking if I wanted to try their whiskeys, their agave caught my eye and I wanted to try it. They kindly included this bottle, which I admit is a risk on their part given that I’m nobody in the agave spirits world.
Let’s head into uncharted waters to find out what California has to offer in this Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave review.
Thank you to Shelter Distilling for providing this bottle. All opinions are my own.
As an FYI, I bought and use these Glencairn glasses for everything (they’re the best): Glencairn Crystal Whiskey Glass Set of 6, Set of 4, Set of 2, or just one. Full transparency, this is an affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave smell
Oh man this is beautifully fragrant. There’s a ton of pear up front, followed by lime, grapefruit and pear peel, green grapes, faint black pepper, and maybe a little bit of something green and vegetal way in the back. Are we sure that this isn’t pear brandy? Even at 47% ABV, there’s little to no burn.
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave really doesn’t smell like tequila. There’s little to none of the vegetal agave I often find in Tequila. I guess that I’m stating an obvious fact because this is in fact not tequila, but it’s worth stating again for those who may be expecting more of the traditional Tequila notes. I mean, it’s still made with 100% blue weber agave and more or less made in the same way. This agave is something completely different.
While all those sweet and fruit notes ring the additive bell in my head, I re-confirmed with Shelter Distilling that there are absolutely zero additives. I don’t know what’s happening here, but this is fantastic and an awesome twist.
After swirling and rest, I smell fresh and dense pear juice (maybe bosc?), lime juice and lime peel, green grapes, vanilla, and a little black pepper and earthy vegetal something. There’s a lot of pear brandy and white wine scents that are not at all what I associate with agave. It’s wonderfully confusing, and I’m all for it. I’m just going with the flow.
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave is very expressive and vibrant. It’s not necessarily super dense and rich like a 12 year old 60% bourbon, but that’s not really the point. We should be so lucky that it’s already an overproof 47% ABV, and not the usual 40%. But uh…can we get this at 50% ABV?
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave smells absolutely incredible. I didn’t know that I wanted this, but I’m glad that I found it.
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave taste and aftertaste
The flavors start with dense pear, pear, and more pear, then lime, green grapes, citrus peel that’s a little drying and bitter, starfruit, a little bit of drying and spicy black pepper, and a hint of drying vegetalness. As much as I mention pear (and there’s a lot of it), this isn’t just purely sweet. There are some drying and earthy qualities that could be more of the traditional agave notes coming out.
That said, Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave is crazy in the best way possible. This is agave spirit, but it drinks like pear brandy. The cognitive dissonance is real, but in a pleasant way. And it’s all held together with nice viscosity and mouthfeel.
After “chewing” I get dense pear (bosc pear maybe), followed by lime and lime peel, green grapes, green apples, vanilla, and just a little black pepper and vegetalness. This is so sweet and pear-y that it honestly feels like I’m biting into a perfectly ripe fresh pear, which I like by the way. It has the depth of flavor of a fancy pear picked at peak ripeness that’s like $5 per pear at Whole Foods.
The finish leaves pear with the lightly bitter skins, citrus peel that’s lightly bitter, and this drying quality I can’t quite verbalize that’s a little bit earthy and woody. The drying quality makes it feel like it was aged in oak, but it hasn’t. Probably because of the ABV, the aftertaste quickly tapers off, leaving long-lasting sweet dryness
After “chewing” it leaves pear and pear skin, lime with the peel, vanilla, green grapes, and a little bit of drying vegetalness. There’s a noticeable drying and slightly bitter quality of fruit skins.
Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave is amazingly vibrant, expressive, and delicious. I feel like agave shouldn’t, or usually doesn’t, have this much green fruitiness. I expect lime sweetness, but this range of green fruits is something totally different. It’s so confusing and interesting, but I have to have it.
I didn’t know that I wanted a spirit to taste like this, and this is even more insane for an agave spirit.
I’ve unfortunately lost some Glencairn’s while in transit, and that made me very sad. So, I wised up and bought this Glencairn Travel Case that comes also comes with 2 glasses so I don’t need to worry so much about them breaking. I think it’s great, and I think you’ll love it too.
Seriously, if you already have glasses, protect them.Shelter Distilling Yolo California Agave Reserve Rating
Yes…yes…yes! Shelter Yolo California Agave Spirit is the drink I didn’t know I wanted, but I am so happy that Shelter Distilling was willing to send me a bottle. I’m not much of a tequila / agave spirits reviewer yet, but I’m giving it a try and I’m learning. As green as I am with tequila and agave spirits in general, Shelter Distilling’s take on it is amazing and I’m very impressed.
At least as of this review it’s still available to purchase on Shelter Distilling’s website. But as you may know, shipping to your location may vary.
That whole terroir thing is real, because I’ve never had Tequila that smelled or tasted like this, even though it comes from the same plant species. The fresh and dense pear and green fruit notes are wholly unexpected but so incredible. The depth, expressiveness, and vibrance are captivating. I enjoy every sniff and sip, and I’m so glad that I have a bottle to enjoy because I want more.
This is where my inexperience comes in – I can’t tell you why this agave spirit is the way it is. The land, the weather, and the agave are clearly major factors leading to the end result, but I can’t tell you if shredding the agave, the 3 day steaming, fermentation, alpine water, and/or something else are major components or making it so unique. It’s hard to compare this to anything else, well for one because I haven’t reviewed much agave spirit, but two because this is a wild blend of agave spirit and pear brandy. I give it this rating because I like it that much.
I can see this being a very versatile spirit. It’s amazing on its own, but it also would be perfect for any type of cocktail where you want to add or emphasize pear. If you have a bottle or want to get a bottle, don’t be afraid to experiment. I get that it’s pricey at $125, but I think that it’d be a fun experiment.
I wrap this review by writing that Shelter Distilling nailed it, and I want more of these California-grown agave spirits. I have a bottle (thanks again), but this is the type of agave spirit that I think any blanco tequila lover should try. It’s a non-traditional yet traditional expression of blue Weber agave that shows off a familiar-ish and unique side of the plant.
I’d go as far to say that this is a must try for any lover of agave spirits.
Meet the Author: Alex
I have far too much fun writing about whiskey and singlehandedly running The Whiskey Shelf to bring you independent, honest, and useful reviews, comparisons, and more. I’m proudly Asian American and can speak Cantonese, Mandarin, and some Japanese.
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Shattered glass really sucks, so if you’re on the move, this Glencairn-like stainless steel snifter glass should survive your travels. Full transparency, this is an Amazon affiliate link, so I may earn a commission if you buy this or something else from Amazon.
BrüMate NOS’R, Double-Wall Stainless Steel Whiskey Nosing Glass – 7oz (Matte Black)
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