Fortaleza

A rare and pure Blanco almost straight from the still.

“Technically,”  Fortaleza Tequila launched in 2005. Really, they have been making tequila for five generations and the story of that “technically” comment could fill an entire website. Suffice it to say that Don Cenobio founded his first distillery in 1873, passing it on to generation after generation, then some of the land was sold, then bought back, and renamed Tequila Los Abuelos. But a Rum had that name, so they had to get the trademark thing worked out… yadda, yadda, yadda… now they have been making Tequila under the Fortaleza name for the last decade.

Fortaleza Tequila is based in Jalisco—the Mecca of Tequila—using brick ovens, Tahano stone mills, and a pair of copper pot stills in the escuala-vieja way (old school). They produce a traditional line of three core Tequilas: a Blanco, a Reposado and an Anejo, along with the occasional special edition.

For years, you could only get Fortaleza Still Strength Blanco Tequila at their distillery. Until now. Now, you can basically taste their premium Blanco straight from the still. All the aromas of fruit, baked fully-ripened agave, green olive, and earth are very much there. The palate is a tad brighter and more rustic than the regular Blanco with hints of butter, olive, earth, black pepper, and vegetal notes. The flavors are stronger because they come straight from their small copper pot still without added water before bottling. Just pure premium Blanco flavors.