Fortaleza Blanco Tequila

Lot 64, Nose: nice crisp agave Palate: citrus, cooked agave, black pepper, anis

Rating: 17/23 So I'm down to my last 25 ml or so. It's had a lot of oxygen, which will affect my tasting for sure. I may decline to rate it if the oxygen had too large of an impact. N: Oily with lots of olive brine. Something on the savory, vegetal side emerges, bringing out some funkiness with the herbal elements. I start getting more balance and complexity, though I struggle to pick out further distinct notes. P: Oily with terrific mouthfeel. There's plenty of olive brine, but much less than the nose suggested. Spicy prickliness comes out alongside mint, some minerals, and maybe a little lime leaf. The balance here is terrific and so is the depth. There's not a ton of sweetness from the agave here, but I do get a bit of that stewed vegetal character mixed with the little bit of sweetness that there is. The complexity is really solid as well, though it could be more substantial. F: Full with some of that oily character remaining. Rich and savory olive with not a ton of brine. - Conclusion - This is a really exceptional tequila. It's a long way from a 23, but it's one of those ones that grabs your attention and keeps it. I'm looking at a 17 most likely. I can imagine an 18, but a 16 seems pretty unlikely. I just gave Fortaleza Reposado an 18 and it seems clearly better than this, so I'm going with a 17 here. A fresh bottle of this might prove better, but this is at least an increase from the rating I gave it previously.

Smooth, no burn, citrus aftertaste. Vanilla and honey notes. Good sipper.

Nose: Floral Palette: Lime, sweetness, spicy