Tastes

So unbelievably herbal! It's like half menthol. There is a little bit of sweetness present, but it is completely overpowered. Overall, this is a very dry liquor. Some sale makes its way in too, but salt and menthol? Blech! Maybe I can find something to mix with it. There is definitely some depth here, but oh so much menthol and it lingers on the finish. It is astonishing how there is no similarity between this and the Corralejo or Clase Azul reposados. This is definitely a refreshing drink, but I do wish that the menthol taste did not linger so much. it lacks, the richness of the T1 reposado, but the finish is shorter and had less of a bitter note. Due to its slight citrus flavor, it could be good with lime. I mixed some of this with Kahlua because Corralejo Reposado works well with Kahlua due to its rich, mushroomy flavor. This is a different, more refreshing experience. It defines a whole new flavor of coffee and rounds our the tequila. I wouldn't call this the be all end all, but it's a fun pairing that is better than either of its individual components. Does not work with raspberry liqueur. Goes quite well with St. Germain and works actually 3 with Cointreau. Paired with Licor 43, this induces gagging. Also, a warning about the cork: the cork is something like 2 inches long and bulges in the middle, so it is ridiculously easy to have it break. I recommend twisting to get it out the first time and then not inserting it more than a little bit or even cutting it. After drinking a third of a bottle, I can detect green olives and green peppercorns mixed with sage for an astringent start, but one that quickly fades as sweet but subtle pineapple notes briefly take over before giving way to a balanced, herbal finish that lasts a long time. Pepper and agave are definitely noticeable and there is a bit of creaminess present. Mint hints are present throughout. This is good, but confusing because it tastes more like a Blanco tequila due to the green olive presence. The flavor is a bit on the harsh side, but it is otherwise quite good. If I could have the start of the T1 reposado and the finish of this one, I'd be happy with a holiday reposado. As it stands, the Fortaleza reposado just tastes a bit much like a blanco. The astringency and mint bite in compared with El Tesoro Blanco. It's a dry drink that is good in its own right, but there is too much lime, olive, and mint for my liking. It definitely packs a punch though, if that is what you're looking for. I definitely prefer El Tesoro Blanco though.

As always, Fortaleza has a different take on tequila. This is a rich, sweet tequila that emphasizes chocolate. It has a rich milk chocolate flavor that mixes with mulch to constitute the core of a somewhat confusing experience. This absolutely does not taste like a blanco. This is far less dry and astringent than Fortaleza Reposado, almost as if the batches' labels were swapped. There is some stringent presence here that could be argued to be lime with some dry pineapple. If say it's better than the reposado, but not on par with the best tequilas. The flavor is full and creamy though, so it does have something going for it. Corralejo Reposado lovers should give this a shot. The slightly rancid flavor in here is unfortunately enough of a problem to push this down below Espolon Blanco. Weirdly, I would have guessed that this was at least a reposado, if not an anejo, based on it's rich, robust, and rounded flavor. Rich, with a creaminess and a smokey backing with sweet undertones. There are mixed vegetal and herbal notes with a tad of spiciness and some mineral undertones. There are notes of green olive, lime, and raw pineapple, but they are not very strong. Lightly roasted coffee and bittersweet cocoa come through too, with some iodine that suggests tobacco. The sweetness gives way to dryness toward the finish but the dryness is not overwhelming. There is a fair amount going on here, but there are no brilliant notes and the notes are a bit too balanced toward the rich flavors, which is weird for a blanco tequila. Remarkably smooth, rich, and smokey with a sweet slightly fruity backing and vegetal flavors. For a Blanco, this character is surprising. It has a bit of mintiness in the finish. The flavor is rich, robust, and complex. It is not in any way overwhelmed by alcohol. This is a very good tequila. The complexity is comparable to Arta Anejo (prehaps it is a bit less) but the flavors are generally better. In some ways, I prefer Cabeza's pure tequila flavor for its honesty, but this is really good in its own way. This is very smoky with a rich, meaty, vegetal element that tastes slightly eggy and rotten. It's kind of sweet but in a way that oddly doesn't balance out. This 8s an astonishingly rich tequila with smoke and rancid meat really powering through. That latter part is unfortunately not all good though. There is some sweetness mixed with the smoke and vegetal flavors and some fruit comes through as well. There is some odd tartness to balance it out the net result is both good and impressively rich for a blanco. It seems like a tequila that is good in special circumstances rather than on average though. It is well worth trying for its uniqueness, but it's a bit of a risk to buy a whole bottle. The nose is olive and oil. The brine is prevalent in the nose, but is not piercing. The palate has a surprising amount of mineral alongside see clear brine that comes with some umami oil. It's very much its own thing and it isn't shy about being so since it's so assertive, but it is definitely a bit odd. The earthy and spicy notes are there for sure and there is some sweet fruitiness as well. It's a bit bitter and oily for my liking, but it does work kind of well in that way. The finish is remarkably like the palate, maintaining the complexity and avoiding any excessively bitter weirdness. The oiliness sort of makes it hedonistic in that tequila flavor profile. It's quite good, but in the end it is very oily and packed with green olive. There's no smoke to be found, but it is still rich and rather bitter from the vegetal notes. It's a super, but it doesn't set any new bars. The sweet pineapple really comes through for that brief moment on larger sips, but the finish is still on the dry side. It's a bit too oily though. I slightly prefer Cabeza with its cleaner flavor profile and substantial complexity.

This smells quite sour and minty with some other slight hints of caramel and a more substantial wood element. There isn't a huge amount of age apparent here. The palate is sweeter than expected with some of that Fortaleza smoke and vegetal flavor mixed with green olive, pineapple, and caramel (stewed agave). The finish is delightful in that it is sufficiently sweet. The balance is very good and this is wonderful in how quintessential of a tequila it is. The mint comes through on the palate a little and it is definitely a little bit in the spearmint vein but it isn't too bad. The Fortaleza umami makes it through. I with that there were a bit more complexity to tie everything together, specifically in the area of depth of flavor over time, but as it is the flavor is very good. I would happily sip this. It has some spiciness for sure, but although it is strong, it is not overwhelming. Some mineral does come in, but it is well under control. This isn't an all-time favorite drink, but it is very well executed. The green olive masks any alcohol too. From any angle, this is an interesting drink. It's a bit mild, but it's quite good in how it has interesting flavors that avoid common pitfalls of grossness.