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
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