Fortaleza Blanco Tequila
Fortaleza Blanco Tequila is a 750mL blanco bottled at 40% ABV (80 proof) by Destileria La Fortaleza in the town of Tequila, Jalisco (NOM 1493) — an unaged tequila made the slow way: agave from the Tequila Valley cooked in a stone oven, crushed entirely by a two-ton volcanic tahona, fermented in open-air wood tanks and double-distilled in copper pot stills. Order it online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 40% (80 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Style: Blanco tequila, unaged, 100% blue agave
- Agave: Blue agave from the Tequila Valley (lowlands), Jalisco, matured at least 8 years before harvest (brand)
- Cooking: Stone/brick oven, slow-cooked 36 hours
- Crushing: 100% tahona — a 2-ton volcanic stone wheel
- Fermentation: Open-air wooden tanks, family yeast held for generations
- Distillation: Double distilled in traditional copper pot stills
- Origin: Destileria La Fortaleza, Tequila, Jalisco — NOM 1493
The Sauza Family's Old Distillery, Rebuilt by Hand
Fortaleza is the work of Guillermo Erickson Sauza, fifth-generation distiller of the Sauza family: his great-great-grandfather Don Cenobio Sauza founded his first distillery in Tequila in 1873, and the small La Fortaleza distillery — long idle after the family sold the Sauza business — was brought back to life for the Fortaleza launch in 2005. Nothing about the production is modernised: the agave is cooked in a stone oven for 36 hours, crushed by a tahona rather than a roller mill, fermented in open wooden tanks with the family's own yeast, and run twice through copper pot stills that have stood at the distillery for over a century. Even the bottles are hand-blown in Jalisco. Browse the house on the Fortaleza vendor page.
Tasting Notes
Per the brand's official notes: aromas of citrus, rich cooked agave, butter, olive, earth and black pepper; a palate carrying citrus and cooked agave with vanilla, basil, olive and lime; and a long, deep, complex finish. It is a distinctly earthy, agave-first blanco — the tahona and the lowlands fruit showing through with nothing rested away.
How to Enjoy
Pour it neat at room temperature first — this is one of the blancos that rewards straight sipping — then try it in a Ranch Water or a classic Margarita where the cooked-agave depth stays in front. Set it beside the higher-proof Fortaleza Still Strength Blanco to taste what the added water normally softens, or explore more in our tequila collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does tahona mean?
A tahona is a two-ton volcanic stone wheel that crushes cooked agave slowly, separating fibre from juice without the harsher extraction of a roller mill. Fortaleza crushes 100% of its agave this way — one of the most labour-intensive methods in tequila.
Who makes Fortaleza tequila?
Guillermo Erickson Sauza, fifth generation of the Sauza distilling family, at Destileria La Fortaleza in Tequila, Jalisco (NOM 1493). The brand is sold as Los Abuelos inside Mexico and as Fortaleza in the United States.
Is Fortaleza Blanco aged?
No. Blanco is bottled unaged after distillation, which is why the cooked agave, earth and pepper sit so far forward. The rested expressions are the Reposado and the Anejo.
Old-method blanco from the Sauza family's own distillery — order Fortaleza Blanco online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
