Consumers have never been more educated and conscious about what they drink and where that drink comes from. Traditionally crafted, additive-free tequila is now deservedly considered by enthusiasts to be as complex and rich as a fine Cognac or single-malt whisky, and no tequila embodies what enthusiasts are currently looking for more than Fortaleza. The brand was founded by Guillermo Sauza, the great-great-grandson of the pioneering tequila businessman, Don Cenobio Sauza. Built in 1903, the small distillery where Fortaleza is produced is virtually untouched by the industrial processes that now dominate tequila production.
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We tested entirely too much tequila to identify the ideal bottles for sipping, shots and cocktails, including a few surprisesFortaleza produces tequila solely through traditional methods. They slowly cook the agave in stone ovens, extract the juice using a giant stone tahona, allow open-air fermentation and distill on small copper pot stills. It’s just like how tequila was made before the introduction of autoclaves, diffusers and suspect additives. Even if the people behind Fortaleza wanted to take those shortcuts, the tiny distillery’s vintage equipment couldn’t accommodate modernization.
These traditional production practices that led to Fortaleza’s sterling reputation have also had an unexpected side effect. “Fortaleza has always been a recognized brand of quality in the agave space, but recently, production capacity became insufficient at supplying demand,” says Max Reis, beverage director at the agave-focused, award-winning Mírate in Los Angeles. “Agave spirit enthusiasts now seek it out as a rare item, which of course boosted its popularity even further.”
This phenomenon may sound familiar if you have any experience in the bourbon community. Enthusiasts and collectors often compare Fortaleza to Blanton’s — a comparison that feels all too perfect considering each brand’s collectible bottle toppers.
“Fortaleza is often price hiked because of its scarcity, so if you do find it in many stores, it’s at an elevated price unreflective of its actual cost,” Reis says. “The shops that sell it at a fair price, based on its actual business markup, have eager fans waiting for a delivery.”
If Fortaleza’s core lineup is like the Blanton’s of the tequila world, their annual Winter Blend limited release is tequila’s Pappy Van Winkle. Every fall, Fortaleza releases a brand new reposado tequila and experiments with different barrel finishes, creating a tequila with a unique twist. Past releases have seen Fortaleza experiment with Hungarian oak, ex-beer barrels and even Charanda (Mexican rum) barrels.
“Every year, the Winter Blend is unique, delicious and highly allocated, so quantities are extremely limited,” Reis says. “The even more limited nature of an already limited item makes a craze every single year when it is released. Collectors everywhere are snagging up every bottle they can find to price hike or hoard for later enjoyment, like a rare whiskey collector.”
Fortaleza’s goal isn’t to mask the natural flavor with obscure barrel finishes. “We want to make a tequila that’s different but that you can still recognize as a tequila,” says Stefano Francavilla, who leads the blending of each year’s Winter Blend. “The idea isn’t to make a better Winter Blend than last year but to make a different Winter Blend.”
This year’s Winter Blend veers into uncharted territory by aging the tequila in cream sherry casks. Like all of Fortaleza’s bottles, creating the Winter Blend begins right off the stills. “Our still strength is the starting point of everything we do — it’s just agave, water and yeast,” says Mitch Wolf, the brand’s international brand ambassador.
From there, the distillery team filled three 500-liter ex-cream sherry casks and aged the tequila for four months. Those barrels were dumped and then filled with fresh still-strength tequila and aged for another four months. These two batches of cream sherry cask-aged tequila were then blended. To balance the cask influence, the tequila aged in ex-cream sherry casks was blended with about 4,000 liters of 3-month-old reposado tequila and 1,000 liters of 10-month-old tequila, both aged in heavily-used ex-bourbon barrels.
The final blend is a unique and disarming 46.5% ABV reposado tequila. It’s still agave forward, but on the nose, there are aromas of cream soda and Key lime pie. The creaminess on the nose extends to the palate and is joined by notes of white raisin, heavily cooked agave and a little bit of baking spice. The cream sherry influence comes through on the finish, which is velvety and creamy with more notes of dried fruit with citrus and vanilla.
This whole process only netted about 7,800 liters of the 2024 Winter Blend, which works out to about 10,400 bottles, so it’s sure to be a hot commodity among agave enthusiasts. Bottles should be gradually hitting shelves in the United States beginning in November, so stay vigilant — it won’t be around long.
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