At the end of May, I traveled with some of my now former AY26 graduate students on an optional 2-day staff ride trip to Gettysburg. On the evening of the first day after a full schedule traveling across the battlefield and listening to one of my faculty colleagues, a subject matter expert on the U.S. Civil War, discuss in detail the tactical and strategic aspects of events, a group of the students and I shared spirits, cigars, and great conversation. I brought a number of bottles to share including this newly opened bottle of Fortaleza Reposado Tequila, lote (batch) 127-R. It was a hit with the group.
Produced by distillery La Fortaleza/Los Abuelos (NOM 1493) in Tequila, Jalisco, Fortaleza is made by fifth generation master distiller Guillermo Erickson Sauza. The tequila is made using Blue Weber agaves at least 8-years-old grown in the Jalisco Valley cooked in brick ovens (hornos) for 36 hours, aguamiel (sugar) extraction using a mechanical tahona stone wheel, open-air fermentation in wooden tanks for four days using a family yeast strain, 2x-distillation in small copper pot stills to 46% ABV (92 proof) proofed down to 80 using natural spring water, and aging for 7 months in American White Oak ex-bourbon barrels that have been shaved and re-charred.
Light straw yellow in the glass, the reposado’s aroma profile is rich in roasted agave, creamy caramel, vanilla, baking spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, light cloves), fresh sage, white orchard fruits (pears, apples), grapefruit zest, minerality and salinity, light black pepper, and a hint of anise.
The flavor profile is earthy and mirrors the nose with the addition of a darker caramel, punchier cloves, basil, orange peel, hints of pineapple and dark chocolate, and punchier black pepper, anise, and oak. The full panoply of flavors only emerge and cohere if you roll the tequila slowly across your palate.
The viscosity and mouthfeel are medium creamy with a 8-9 second finish with lots of baking spices, black pepper, and oak.
_________________
1792 Bourbon Agave Spirits American Single Malts American Whisky ArteNOM Añejo Tequila Blanco Tequila Blended Whisky Bourbon Whisky Bruichladdich Buffalo Trace Buffalo Trace Distillery Cocktails Código 1530 (Codigo 1530) E.H. Taylor Eagle Rare El Tesoro Extra Añejo Tequila Fortaleza G4 Gin Glassware Irish Whisky Jack Daniel's Liqueurs Lost Lore Maker's Mark Mezcal Mijenta Old Fitzgerald Patrón Penelope Reposado Tequila Reviews Rye Whisky Scotch Whisky Scotland Siempre Single Malt Whisky Spirits Tequila Tequila Ocho Virginia Virginia Distillery Company Whisky
