Fortaleza Blanco Tequila 70 cl

Product Information

Tequila’s production standards haven’t always been set in stone. Don Cenobio was the first to implement the use of steam to cook the blue agave. Previous to this, the agave was cooked in earthen pits, similar to how mezcal is made. Tequila’s Protected Origin Has Fortaleza to Thank It was by no means a bad inheritance, but perhaps bittersweet for the U.S.-based Sauza, who had grown up thinking he would follow his forefathers into the tequila business. Showing the fortitude that would later lend its name to his brand, Sauza eventually followed those dreams in 1999, though not as a Tequila Sauza exec.

Where other trade visits are hyper brand-focused, Fortaleza takes its guests to visit the production facilities of friends and neighboring producers, like Arette and Don Fulano. This only adds to the impression that the visiting bartenders (who have to buy their own airfare, by law) are not being sold on anything but are instead there to experience — and, if they are so inclined, they can later spread the word.We thought it was the perfect fit,” he recalls of Guillermo and his brand, whose “ancient” details extended to individual, hand-made glass bottles. “We always used to joke that because they’re hand-blown, maybe you’d get a little more in one than another.” Whether Sauza was naturally hard-wired with steely determination or if this encounter sparked a fiery ambition within him is by the by. Either way, he would indeed find “another way” to do things, and begin Tequila Fortaleza’s hard-fought battle to build a respected brand. The majority of marketing for tequila are these romantic images but the reality doesn’t match up in most cases,” says Lou Bank, the founder of SACRED, a nonprofit that supports rural Mexican communities making heritage agave spirits, and the co-host of the “Agave Road Trip” podcast. “For the tequila geeks who really want it to match up, by and large Guillermo’s doing it.” In Spanish, the name Fortaleza directly translates to strength or fortitude. The brand’s moniker was inspired by the property’s original distillery. Destileria La Fortaleza was named by Guillermo’s grandfather, Don Javier. The Distillery Tour Is Highly Recommended

Every glass bottle across Fortaleza’s range is hand-blown in Mexico and finished with a hand-painted agave piña stopper on top. It Uses an Ancient Method

Fortaleza Blanco (Still Strength)

Over the course of that period, visiting bartenders — occasionally from as far-flung reaches as Australia — will walk agave fields, watch the legendary tahona in motion, and sample plenty of tequila. They, too, will visit Sauza’s ancestral home before the trip culminates with a party in Fortaleza’s very own cave, where bats fly overhead as Sauza pours one of his three expressions: blanco, reposado, or añejo. Following more or less the same agenda to this day, Fortaleza continues to host three of its trade trips annually — though industry members and consumers can also inquire about visits on their own schedules. The getaways usually take place from Sunday through Wednesday because “we figure industry people make most of their money on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” Wolf says. The final, inescapable piece of Fortaleza’s appeal seems to be the brand’s founder. In every conversation had in the reporting of this piece, Sauza seemed ever present, the rightful center of the brand’s solar system. When he says “we,” Sauza refers to the friends who were able to help out, and who were often paid in tequila — so tight were the purse strings in those early days. Wolf was among them, having serendipitously met Sauza while drinking his tequila at a bar in San Diego. Two days later, Wolf would turn up at the family distillery in Tequila, greeted by the amazed Sauza, who couldn’t believe Wolf had taken him up on an impromptu bar invitation. The pair have remained friends ever since and Wolf has worked full-time at Fortaleza for seven years, now acting as international brand ambassador. Getting that product to market would pose numerous challenges, though — particularly in the United States. Launched as Los Abuelos, to honor Sauza’s grandparents, in Mexico in 2005, Sauza had to abandon the brand name for U.S. sales because of a trademark conflict with Panama’s Ron Los Abuelos. (Fortaleza translates to both “fortitude,” and “fortress,” the latter of which was Don Javier’s name for the family’s small, hillside distillery.)

In 2000, when the family business was in the beginning stages of being resurrected, Fortaleza went under the name “Los Abuelos,” meaning “The Grandfathers.” It was a way of paying homage to the traditional methods used by previous generations to make tequila. Unfortunately, the company ran into a trademark issue in the United States. Ron Abuelo Rum was already established and prevented Los Abuelos from selling tequila using the near-identical name. That’s when Tequila Fortaleza was born for use in the international marketplace. Fortaleza Has a Direct TranslationSauza’s was not an entirely romantic or nostalgic pursuit, though. Unlike many modern founders (read: Hollywood celebrities) who “just wanted to create a tequila for me and my buddies to drink,” he approached the restoration with a thought-out business plan and a clear understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of his hand. This cookie is set by Rubicon Project to control synchronization of user identification and exchange of user data between various ad services.