History

In 1925, at the "La Umedina" ranch, Mr. Sacramento Soto Álvarez produced a distillate known at that time as "opisto" mezcal wine. Part of this production was taken by his relatives to Spain. The ranch served as a strategic point for carts traveling to the city of Álamos to mint gold and silver minerals from the Sierra de Santa Rosa, in Yécora. In addition to producing bacanora, the hacienda engaged in agriculture, livestock farming, as well as raising and selling horses and mules; the livestock was primarily for family consumption.

Later, in 1937, Mr. Roque Soto Salcido continued these same activities on the same ranch and in the pasture, preserving the family tradition.

In 1945, Mr. Feliciano Soto Carrión continued production at the La Umedina, El Carricito, and La Guácima ranches, making bacanora mainly for his own consumption.

Later, in 1957, Mr. Benjamín Soto Valenzuela—considered the last winemaker of that era and from whom the current recipe originates—produced bacanora at the El Carricito and El Potrero ranches. His production was intended for consumption, gifts, and special orders, even from government authorities, in a context where the prohibition of bacanora was at its strictest.

Finally, in 2022, Mr. Benjamín Soto Beltrán, after growing up watching his father dedicate his life to this emblematic drink, decided to continue the family tradition. At his father's request, he reclaims this legacy with the commitment to bring bacanora to the world.

Thus B8 El General was born, a brand that preserves an ancestral recipe proudly safeguarded, and which today seeks to share the richness, history, and essence of Sonoran bacanora with the world.