Fortaleza Reposado Tequila

Rich, smooth, tasty

My first foray into actually discovering and appreciating a tequila. Incredibly sweet agave heavy nose with herbaceous pepper notes and a light waft of oak. Not much alcohol present in the nose, but the overall robustness of the smells is crazy, much more potent than any bourbon, cognac, rum or gin I’ve ever tried. Agave is overwhelming in the palette as well, not in a bad way. Other flavors include oak, pine, bitters, cinnamon, pepper and diesel. Finish is very floral with the diese lingering. Dry and sticky. Delicious stuff. Great as a sipper, also great in a lemon basil margarita.

Wow! At first it was cinnamon, agave on the nose. I fought the urge to sip right away thinking it will open up with more agave after a couple minutes which (for my nose) was the case. The taste… agave, cinnamon and citrusy sweetness alone with light barrel and maybe a hint of smoke and maybe some earthy minerals; all fallowed with prickly pepper and warm spice. Finish is medium long is a vanilla-citrusy sweetness, light Smokey finish with that prickly pepper all the way! From the nose to the finish, the agave is very prominently present. Wonderful!! One of my new favorite!

Appearance is almost clear with just a hint of straw color. Lime and salt prominent on the nose with black pepper in the background. Sweet agave and herbal flavors on the palate. The sweetness is not overwhelming. The mouthfeel is on the thin side. The finish is medium but leaning towards the short end of the spectrum. This is a smooth, clean tequila. It reminded me of El Tesoro Reposado as that they are both very "clean" tasting and share similar production methods. I tried the Tesoro alongside this and felt there was a bit more black pepper with the El Tesoro. Both quality but I'm leaning toward Fortaleza if given the choice.

Smooth when i drank it cold

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.