The Still & The VineSchool of Wine & Spirits
Fortaleza Still Strength Blanco
TequilaIssue 68

Fortaleza Still Strength Blanco

Fortaleza · Destilería La Fortaleza (Tequila Los Abuelos)

92 proofUnagedTequila, Jalisco, Mexico
Fortaleza Still Strength takes an already excellent blanco and dials the volume to reveal what the agave has been saying all along. The additional proof isn't about heat — it's about clarity. Every element is sharper, more defined, more honest. A tequila that rewards attention.

Kit Aromas

Tasting Notes

Nose

Intensely aromatic cooked agave leads — sweet, vegetal, alive. Behind it sits roasted citrus peel, a touch of wet earth, and fresh-cut grass. A hint of mineral flint adds depth without heaviness.

Palate

The higher proof amplifies everything: the agave is sweeter and more assertive than the standard bottling, with layers of lime zest, white pepper, and a subtle olive brine. Mid-palate offers a fleeting herbal note — thyme and mint — before the agave reasserts itself.

Finish

Long and peppery, with cooked agave sweetness lingering alongside a clean mineral bite.

Specifications
Agave
100% Blue Weber Agave (estate-grown)
Production
Traditional tahona-crushed, open-air fermentation, copper pot distillation
Region
Tequila, Jalisco, Mexico
Cooking Method
Traditional tahona-crushed, open-air fermentation, copper pot distillation
Distillation
Double distilled in copper pot stills
NOM
NOM 1493
Additives Free
Yes
Serve & Pair

Cocktail Suggestion

Fortaleza Paloma — 2 oz Fortaleza Still Strength · 1 oz fresh grapefruit juice · 0.5 oz fresh lime juice · 0.5 oz agave nectar · 2 oz sparkling grapefruit soda · Build in a salt-rimmed Collins glass over ice, stir gently, garnish with a grapefruit wedge.

Food Pairing

Ceviche with mango and habanero

The Story

Produced by Guillermo Soto at the family-owned Destilería La Fortaleza in the town of Tequila, where agave is still crushed by a traditional tahona stone wheel and distilled in small copper pot stills, a process that has remained essentially unchanged across five generations.

Train These Aromas
Comments

Be the first to comment.

Leave a comment

0 / 4,000

First-time comments are reviewed before appearing. Be kind, be specific, no spam.

More from Destilería La Fortaleza (Tequila Los Abuelos)
Ron Zacapa Edición Negra
Rum

Ron Zacapa Edición Negra

Ron Zacapa

Edición Negra takes Zacapa's high-altitude solera system and pushes it toward heavier charred casks, producing a darker, more brooding rum than its siblings. The result is a spirit that trades some of the Centenario 23's honeyed charm for genuine complexity and a savory edge. Whether you sip it neat or pair it with a robust dessert, this is rum built for contemplation.

86 proof
Michter's 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon
Bourbon

Michter's 10 Year Old Single Barrel Kentucky Straight Bourbon

Michter's

Michter's 10 Year exemplifies the discipline of selecting barrels that can handle a full decade without tipping into over-oaked bitterness. This is bourbon that rewards slow sipping — each minute in the glass unlocks new layers. A benchmark for what extended aging should accomplish in Kentucky whiskey.

94.4 proof
Don Pilar Añejo Tequila
Tequila

Don Pilar Añejo Tequila

Don Pilar

Don Pilar's Añejo delivers genuine agave character that has been shaped, not masked, by eighteen months in oak. This is añejo the way it should be done — the wood serves the spirit, not the other way around. At its price point, it competes well above its weight class, offering depth and balance that many pricier añejos struggle to achieve.

80 proof
Jensen's Old Tom London Gin
Gin

Jensen's Old Tom London Gin

Jensen's

Christian Jensen spent years researching nineteenth-century recipes to reconstruct an authentic Old Tom profile. The result is not a novelty — it is a genuine revival, offering a window into what gin tasted like before London Dry became the dominant style. Essential for anyone building a historically informed Martinez or Tom Collins.

86 proof
More Tequila Reviews