The 8 Greatest Options to Tequila Fortaleza

There are numerous tequila manufacturers on the market, however agave aficionados go significantly nuts for Tequila Fortaleza. Since its founding in 2005, the Jalisco-based model has ascended to a unicorn standing within the spirits world, à la sought-after bourbons like Weller or the much more elusive Pappy Van Winkle. Even whiskey taters are posting photographs of Fortaleza bottles peppered in with their most up-to-date hard-to-find bourbon hauls. And we will’t blame ‘em: All the model’s expressions are made with conventional distillation strategies that skillfully showcase the essence of Blue Weber agave.

However because of Fortaleza’s stellar rep and its refusal to additional up its manufacturing, monitoring down a bottle isn’t at all times a risk. For those who handle to search out one, it could possibly run you upwards of $150, relying on how a lot the retailer is jacking up the value. That’s the place VinePair has acquired your again. Under, we’ve compiled an inventory of the perfect options to Fortaleza. In constructing this checklist, we factored in value, taste, manufacturing strategies, and a ton of different elements that equate to a great substitute for these coveted bottles. Some manufacturers are based mostly in El Valle (or Tequila Valley) the place Fortaleza is made, whereas others hail from the highlands. However regardless of the place they’re from, these manufacturers are dishing up clear, terroir-driven expressions of agave.

So, with out additional ado, listed here are VinePair’s eight finest options to spring for.

Tequila Cascahuín

Hailing from Los Valles, Tequila Cascahuín employs ancestral methods in its tequila manufacturing. Very similar to Fortaleza, it cooks its agave in stone ovens and makes use of deep nicely water to make its tequila. Whereas most of its expressions are made through the extra fashionable and environment friendly curler mill extraction, Cascahuín additionally presents a tahona-made model of its blanco, which is mostly held in increased regard than the model’s baseline choices. (There’s a tahona reposado within the line as nicely, nevertheless it’s not but accessible within the U.S.). Briefly, you may’t actually go unsuitable selecting up any bottle from Tequila Cascahuín. It’s a model with over 100 years of historical past beneath its belt, and the liquid lives as much as the legacy.

Wild Widespread

Though it’s produced on the identical distillery as Tequila Cascahuín (NOM 1123) and by the arms of the identical distillers, Wild Widespread is a relative newcomer to the agave house, having been based in 2021 by American photographer Andy Bardon. Due to this shared distillery, Wild Widespread and Tequila Cascahuín share related taste profiles. All of Wild Widespread’s tequila expressions — a blanco, a still-strength blanco, and a reposado — are produced via a mixture of tahona and curler mill extraction, distilled in copper pots, and rested in stainless-steel to permit for delicate oxidation. Given these circumstances, Wild Widespread isn’t a far cry from Tequila Cascahuín’s tahona expression or Fortaleza’s tequilas. All three manufacturers additionally use American oak and ex-bourbon barrels.

Don Fulano

Earlier than we make the total pivot to the highlands (a.okay.a. Los Altos), we’ll make a pit cease at NOM 1146, the house of Don Fulano. This model is predicated within the lowlands, nevertheless it sources its agave from the highlands. It additionally makes use of a low-pressure autoclave to cook dinner its agave piñas, which might not be as conventional as utilizing a stone or brick oven, nevertheless it’s extra environment friendly and nonetheless preserves the flavour potential of the piña — a should for world-class tequila producers like Don Fulano and Fortaleza. Don Fulano additionally extracts its agave juice with a mixture of screw and curler mills. The previous is mostly considered as a contented medium between tahona and curler mill extraction since screw mills don’t break as many agave fibers because the curler mills do.

Whereas Don Fulano might not be as rustic as Fortaleza in its strategy to tequila manufacturing, the model is a stellar instance of contemporary methods being utilized in a method that doesn’t compromise the standard of the ultimate product. Plus, its aged expressions make use of ex-wine casks, French oak, and Hungarian oak, which impart some sudden flavors not generally present in reposados, añejos, and further añejos.

Tequila Ocho

As we enterprise to Los Altos, we discover Tequila Ocho, which was co-founded by fifth-generation agave farmer and third-generation tequilero Carlos Camarena. The Camarena household has been within the tequila enterprise because the mid-1800s, and at the moment are behind a few of the most acclaimed manufacturers within the sport together with G4, Primo 1861, El Tesoro, and Terralta to call a couple of. Let’s simply say that the Camarenas are celebrities in tequila that don’t make movie star tequila.

Tequila Ocho hit the scene in 2008, and rapidly stole the hearts of tequila geeks all over the place. On condition that a big portion of its agave is sourced from single-estate farms, the goal at Ocho is to showcase the terroir of Los Altos. That is high-quality tequila, and an distinctive backup purchase when Fortaleza is out of attain. Plus, the worth is on level — even the model’s añejo is under the $80 mark. For anybody trying to get the purest sense of Los Altos agave, we advocate going for Tequila Ocho’s high-proof Plata Puntas bottlings, although they’re undeniably more durable to trace down than the baseline expressions.

El Tesoro Tequila

As talked about above, El Tesoro is one other Camarena household affair. Although it’s been owned by bigger beverage firms since 1999, the model’s high quality hasn’t been compromised, and Carlos serves because the model’s grasp distiller at La Alteña Distillery. And regardless of the distinction in residence area, El Tesoro has loads in frequent with Fortaleza: Each manufacturers use stone ovens, deep nicely water, tahona extraction, open-air fermentation in picket tanks, and copper pot distillation to make their tequilas. On prime of that, each manufacturers’ staple choices clock in at 40 p.c ABV (not together with still-strength expressions) and any barrel ageing takes place in ex-whiskey barrels. That mentioned, El Tesoro is pumping out a few of the cleanest expressions of Los Altos agave in the marketplace, making it a fantastic model to spring for even when Fortaleza is in inventory.

LALO Tequila

LALO is a little bit of an outlier on this checklist because it solely produces blanco tequila, however its manufacturing strategies and dedication to honoring its agave make it a worthy substitute for Fortaleza’s blanco. The model additionally cooks its piñas in stone ovens, makes use of deep nicely water in all of its processes, and distills its liquid solely in copper pots.

One of many extra distinctive facets of LALO is the model’s determination to ferment its agave with Champagne yeast. Whereas the sort of yeast can be utilized to provide sure esters and aromas, it could possibly additionally stay comparatively impartial in an unlimited vary of fermentation temperatures. Not like different manufacturers that use wild or proprietary yeast strains to offer their merchandise a way of place, LALO presumably makes use of Champagne yeast to let the agave itself do all of the speaking. The result’s a clear, crisp tequila that gives an entire lot of bang for the buck. Relying on the place one purchases LALO, a bottle will solely price between $40 and $50.

Tapatio

Based in 1937 by Don Felipe Camarena, Tapatio is the flagship model of Jalisco’s La Alteña Distillery. And as with El Tesoro, Don Felipe’s grandson Carlos serves as Tapatio’s grasp distiller. In accordance with Tequila Matchmaker, Tapatio makes use of a mixture of tahona and curler mill extraction whereas El Tesoro is all tahona. That could be why El Tesoro tequilas command a barely increased value level, however for the budget-conscious, Tapatio is one other nice various to the mighty Fortaleza. And provided that El Tosoro doesn’t have any high-proof choices in its portfolio, Tapatio 110 is a good choice for individuals who need somewhat further oomph of their tequila. It makes for a fantastic cocktail element, too.

G4

G4 is yet one more stellar model backed by the Camarenas. This one, although, is overseen by Carlos’s brother Felipe at Destileria El Pandillo in Jesús María, Jalisco. Up there within the highlands, Felipe retains G4’s processes conventional with a couple of fashionable improvements that don’t diminish the standard of its tequila. All of its agave piñas are cooked in stone ovens and are crushed with a customized, full-metal, 20,000-pound tahona lovingly dubbed “Felipenstein” that manages to extract 97 p.c of the sugar from the agave fibers, based on the model. Various blends of rainwater, pure spring water, and nicely water are used as main water sources, and G4 distills all of its tequila in copper pots. The completed tequilas are bursting with cooked agave aromas and pack a vegetal, peppery, and fruity punch on the palate — particularly the Madera expressions, that are fermented in picket tanks like Fortaleza. G4 boasts an unlimited portfolio of tequilas, every with its personal refined nuances that units it aside. The costs throughout the core line all typically fall nicely under the $100 mark, too, making them a stable, budget-friendly various for Fortaleza.