Visiting the distillery you can see how small this artisanal operation really is. Good thing they swapped out their tiny stills for new slightly larger ones. Visiting Fortaleza is an amazing experience and a ‘must do’ when in Tequila. There’s just something about it. BTW, their store was out of the añejo and still strength last January. They also told us they had just rejected a truckload of piñas because they weren’t shaved closely enough and wouldn’t taste as good. Another distillery bought them.
I have seen a total of three bottles of Fortaleza in the real world. My 2022 winter blend I got lucky with, and a couple bottles of reposado at a local bar. El Tesoro is my current favorite that is more available locally. The El Tesoro Anejo ranks neck and neck with the Fortaleza winter blend for me.
Me and gf drank half a bottle in feb and had no hangover this is by far my favorite tequila when it comes back into stock if ever im buying like 5 bottles
Finally able to get a bottle of Fortaleza Blanco today a retail. My local shop was able to hold a bottle for me after it came in last week. Sold out in 15 minutes. Beautiful bottle.
Been looking for fortaleza anejo everywhere in nocal. Visited some friends in vista, ca. found a bottle of fortaleza blanco for $99.99 and a bottle of their winter blend for $250 at local liquor store. Got the blanco, haha.
You got luck. Found a bottle of reposado in Temecula old town liquor store for $158 so I bought it. I gave a bottle of blanco 4 months ago away & I never imagined it would be so hard to replace.
I bought my first ever bottle of Fortaleza a couple weeks ago at Vallarta Supermarket. The Reposado. It’s the only place I could find one. The staff was sure bummed out when I bought it. 😄😄😄
I have one of each and i only save it for special occasions, especially the winter blend. It is basically like a unicorn whiskey at this point, every time I see it, it is marked up to 100 over msrp or more.
@@Lui_Fern...Absolutely Lui... It was the last bottle of Añejo they had. Im happy with purchase 😊... im glad I watched your review of this ABSOLUTELY AWESOME TEQUILA! THANKS 😊!!
I’ve talked to a lot of liquor stores out here in SoCal and they all say the same thing. Not only is it hard to get but the distributors make the stores purchase thousands on other alcohol to get a small allotment of Fortaleza.
I'm a recent subscriber so I'm just learning about this brand. I went to a local liquor store that said it had it online. When I got there, the owner said he got a shipment in, one guy bought a bottle, told his friends, then they all came and bought the rest. Sold out in a day.
I've been able to keep a supply of all three -- Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo -- by careful shopping, and just this moment snagged some of the Reposado. I am happy for their success, which they deserve!
We visited Fortaleza last January and they told us they have no plans for an XA. The owner thinks XAs have too much barrel influence and mask the agave.
Lui you truly upset me! I have a bottle of Casamigo’s and after buying your top 5 Tequilas. I can’t drink this bottle! It truly does suck.🤮Now that I have a decent pallet I only buy your recommendations. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I’m pretty green in my Tequila journey..when I saw the Resposado on the shelve I grabbed it. I’m holding on till I make it to my 50th to open it, along with my 15y Knob Creek
@JUNIOR N. That's pretty much the prices I saw on Revo. I refuse to pay that much. I actually got lucky and snagged two bottles of blanco at Hi Times liquors in Costa Mesa for $47 each. Also signed up for "notify me" on the anejo at a couple of different local places.
This is by far the BEST tequila in the world imo. Happy it's getting the recognition it deserves. Unfortunately it's harder to find than a PS5 now. U can still find it online but it will cost you much more. Good luck to all the tequila hunters who like myself will hope to find it locally. Salud.
Last January we saw new construction but they said it was for offices and industry hospitality. They did not mention expanding the distillery. I think Fortaleza likes things just the way they are.
Someone went into my local shop and bought 5 of these at once. A few months before that it was just sitting on the shelf and I bought only 1 repo because I didn’t know it would become so rare. I ended up drinking the last of that bottle with family members at thanksgiving instead of saving it.
Thank you for such a thorough comment! yeah it's sure exploded in popularity and has become very hard (okay. Impossible) to find. One of my absolute all time faves
Agree with you. It’s always out of stock because 1 person will buy the entire shelf. My local store had the single barrel reposado pick limit 1 per customer and that lasted 4 days before it was sold out.
At this point who cares about the price. Can’t find Fortaleza, period. I am at this moment talking to family member in different states to find me fortaleza. Didn’t want to do that, but it is on right now. Right now I have a bounty set up for it, this is redicilous 😅
LUCKY ME!! I was watching this video this morning and decided to call around... and I found some! I got 2 Blancos @ $56.99 and a Reposed at $66.99. The MSRP for these used to be $49.99 and $59.99 respectively. I think that went up to the current price about 8 months ago. I still haven't been able to find the Anejo, now $97.99 MSRP (Up from $89.99) (Ouch!) except from some outlets that want $199.99 for the Anejo (Super ouch!!). I really like the Blanco the best but the Reposado is very, very good. A hint for those who can't find Fortaleza, Vulcan Blanco side by side, may be just a tiny bit better than Fortaleza. It also has great complexities, Master distilled by Anna Maria Ramon and was the 2023 Tequila of the year. So if you can't get Fortaleza get the Vulcan (Blanco) at $54,99. You won't feel deprived in the slightest! (And it's readily available at places like Total Wine and More.)
I had the Siete Leguas anejo a few months ago. I liked it, and I'm not great with tasting notes, but it seemed especially strong with leather and tabacco - a little too much to make it a favorite for me.
I agree best tequila out there right now. I think it’s your fault. When you started talking about it. I couldn’t find it and the price went up to $250. Thx for giving us great tequilas!
A few totalwines within a 15 mile radius from me all have Fortaleza at this time. You can only take 1 bottle though. They were really pushing the El Padrino when I got there which really isn't bad.
That's great that they have Fortaleza. But I'll have to disagree with you. El Padrino is awful. It's also a Total Wine brand. That's why they push it so hard
@@Lui_Fern Lol. Understood. Btw, please review 'TICO Tequila'. Can't find anything on it. No one has reviewed it yet and I'm unsure how long its been in production. Thanks in advance.
Remembering fondly a time, not so long ago, when I could pick up a bottle of Fortaleza pretty much whenever I wanted one. In fact remembering when it was marketed in the U.S. as Los Abuelos. Oh well, there’s always…wait! No point in contributing to scarcity of yet another tequila. 😉
I saw 1 in my local liquor store but there was no price tag on it so I thought maybe it’s a little pricey. I ended up going to Albertsons and found tequila ocho instead.
Since you know so much about so many tequilas would you be able to put together a list of common tequilas that are good ? Most of the ones you mention I can’t find in Michigan :(
I found a bottle of the Blanco at my local market without even trying. They do sell out but I got lucky and it was 50 bucks...I dont wanna open mine lol
I would put El Tequileno up against Fortaleza all day. A single NOM distillery with amazing flavor. It's easier to get, and they actually own Fortaleza's water source
They most likely won't expand production from what I've heard. I don't think they want to compromise on anything they make in fear of it impacting the end product
Buffalo Trace expansion did nothing for the consumer except somewhat help keep the bottom shelf of the line up around somewhat often, whooopidy do I want the good stuff. I know one hole in the wall store that had got Stagg jr every year for 6yrs thru batch 17 and they sold it for the intended price$ 65. Every where else online 299 or more. I cant afford to drink what I got cuz Ill never have it again.
Plenty of Tequilas that are in the top tier range - Cascahuin, El Tesoro, Ocho, G4, Siete Leguas……. If you see a bottle of Fortaleza at your local store, just buy it when you can. It’s too bad that there’s a new demand. I hope this doesn’t happen to the other high quality traditional no-additive Tequilas.
So say Jose Cuervo GOld is better to drive away people from Fortaleza. You know if you really have that much influence :P But in fairness where I live tequila options are few thus I cannot complain too much but I do try to research what I have to find a quality product.
Visiting the distillery you can see how small this artisanal operation really is. Good thing they swapped out their tiny stills for new slightly larger ones. Visiting Fortaleza is an amazing experience and a ‘must do’ when in Tequila. There’s just something about it. BTW, their store was out of the añejo and still strength last January. They also told us they had just rejected a truckload of piñas because they weren’t shaved closely enough and wouldn’t taste as good. Another distillery bought them.
You definitely contributed to us not being able to find any lol😂 but your also the reason many people know of it.
Hahahaha I'll take the good with the bad i guess 🤣
Fortaleza hands down best tequila in the game 💯
You not wrong.
Yessir
What is number 2,3,4 and 5
@@sergioknuf after them is G4 tequila ocho el tesoro volans are also top tiers
I can’t find it anywhere so I just settle with don fulano or G4
I loved that i went to this distillary and got a really good personal tour of this place. $20 a bottle at the distillary, 5 years ago
I've given up on finding Fortaleza and G4. I am now happy with Volans and Terralta. I also entered the "dark" booze side - Bourbon :-)
Found it at my gas station ezzzz
PS: it was an empty bottle but I was still hype! 😂
A liquor store near me has some available almost everytime i go. 90 for the blanco, 100 for still strength, 150 for reposado, and 200 for añejo.
What a ripoff. No wonder it’s in stock.
😂 with those prices, it’ll always be available there
I have seen a total of three bottles of Fortaleza in the real world. My 2022 winter blend I got lucky with, and a couple bottles of reposado at a local bar. El Tesoro is my current favorite that is more available locally. The El Tesoro Anejo ranks neck and neck with the Fortaleza winter blend for me.
My liquor store next to my house get these all the time since I found out about it I been literally buying all the bottles that come in 😂
@@laokazewhy
I had six bottles in my stash, and I just gave 2 away to one of my employees as a gift. I had no idea they were so hard to find these days.
Thanks!
Thank you so much my friend!
It use to be everywhere for $40 before covid. Was my fav
Me and gf drank half a bottle in feb and had no hangover this is by far my favorite tequila when it comes back into stock if ever im buying like 5 bottles
This makes perfect sense why it’s so hard to find. Tfs!
Finally able to get a bottle of Fortaleza Blanco today a retail. My local shop was able to hold a bottle for me after it came in last week. Sold out in 15 minutes. Beautiful bottle.
Been looking for fortaleza anejo everywhere in nocal. Visited some friends in vista, ca. found a bottle of fortaleza blanco for $99.99 and a bottle of their winter blend for $250 at local liquor store. Got the blanco, haha.
You got luck. Found a bottle of reposado in Temecula old town liquor store for $158 so I bought it. I gave a bottle of blanco 4 months ago away & I never imagined it would be so hard to replace.
I found the blanco in my neighborhood today, disappointed I couldn’t find the reposado or the anejo but I’m glad I get to finally try it.
It's no good. Go back to Patron 😂 I'm hyped of the covid and post covid liquor hype
I can find it. It's just 139 for the Blanco and it goes up from there. So glad I bought 5 bottles of the anejo 4years ago for $80
I was able to get 2 Blancos and 1 Reposado this year. I was happy about it.
I bought my first ever bottle of Fortaleza a couple weeks ago at Vallarta Supermarket. The Reposado. It’s the only place I could find one. The staff was sure bummed out when I bought it. 😄😄😄
I have one of each and i only save it for special occasions, especially the winter blend. It is basically like a unicorn whiskey at this point, every time I see it, it is marked up to 100 over msrp or more.
Yeah it's basically a unicorn at this point for sure.
Brought back a Bottle of Fortaleza Añejo..from Tlaquepaque, Guadalajara 😊
Wooooo! What a snag!
@@Lui_Fern...Absolutely Lui... It was the last bottle of Añejo they had. Im happy with purchase 😊... im glad I watched your review of this ABSOLUTELY AWESOME TEQUILA! THANKS 😊!!
I like it a lot! I love El Torso and Cazcanez more!
I’ve talked to a lot of liquor stores out here in SoCal and they all say the same thing. Not only is it hard to get but the distributors make the stores purchase thousands on other alcohol to get a small allotment of Fortaleza.
Yeah it's basically become allocated at this point.
I'm a recent subscriber so I'm just learning about this brand. I went to a local liquor store that said it had it online. When I got there, the owner said he got a shipment in, one guy bought a bottle, told his friends, then they all came and bought the rest. Sold out in a day.
I've been able to keep a supply of all three -- Blanco, Reposado, and Anejo -- by careful shopping, and just this moment snagged some of the Reposado. I am happy for their success, which they deserve!
Where did you find the Reposado?
@@chrisginoc Sorry, so long ago, I'm not sure. Likely a small, local liquor store.
Also the fact they charge reasonable prices
The only one I'm REALLY sad about not being able to find is the Still Strength blanco for $42.00 a pop at Old Town. Those were the days!
The still strength is my favorite
I have the still strength! 30% left…your ever around Fontana CA your more than welcome to a shot
@@abrahamromero3910 much appreciated my friend 😁🙏
This is first time I have heard of this Tequila. If I ever get lucky enough to find a bottle I will buy it.
Nice breakdown, Maybe make more ovens? (not to sure if it's that simple though). Do you know when there making the Extra Anejo?
Thank you my friend! I'm not sure if or when they'll have any extra anejos. It's already tough for the añejo to be on shelves
We visited Fortaleza last January and they told us they have no plans for an XA. The owner thinks XAs have too much barrel influence and mask the agave.
Lui you truly upset me! I have a bottle of Casamigo’s and after buying your top 5 Tequilas. I can’t drink this bottle! It truly does suck.🤮Now that I have a decent pallet I only buy your recommendations. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I’m pretty green in my Tequila journey..when I saw the Resposado on the shelve I grabbed it. I’m holding on till I make it to my 50th to open it, along with my 15y Knob Creek
Woooo! That's a great way to celebrate
A store , has the blanco 🙏 , never had any line , im so iffy i want take one to Vegas for my 23 bday
$150 (blanco) at the liquor store near me 😭😭😭😭
I found it at a huge liquor store in TJ, but only Silver & Resposado. At that time they mention that they were sold out of the Añejo.
Oh wow that's awesome that you were able to find the Blanco and the reposado tho. The añejo has been even more rare
I've looked everywhere in TJ but only found it at the liquor stores on Ave Revolucion and WAY over priced.
They have it at Bodega La Playa liquor store in TJ, across the street from La Plaza Rio. But, I got Fortaleza Blanco for $80-90.
@JUNIOR N. That's pretty much the prices I saw on Revo. I refuse to pay that much. I actually got lucky and snagged two bottles of blanco at Hi Times liquors in Costa Mesa for $47 each.
Also signed up for "notify me" on the anejo at a couple of different local places.
I found some in a small town in New Zealand. Should I count myself lucky?
This is by far the BEST tequila in the world imo. Happy it's getting the recognition it deserves. Unfortunately it's harder to find than a PS5 now. U can still find it online but it will cost you much more. Good luck to all the tequila hunters who like myself will hope to find it locally. Salud.
A liquor store by me actually has a pretty good stock of fortaleza by me. I thought about getting a couple of bottles
At least one to try IMO
Recently heard they’re building a new distillery and stores should be flooded by December.
Oh wow really? That would be something if they did
I heard that somewhere also. Can’t find it where I live😢
Last January we saw new construction but they said it was for offices and industry hospitality. They did not mention expanding the distillery. I think Fortaleza likes things just the way they are.
I just grabbed a still strength and it’s artwork
I was drinking SS the night my wife went into labor 😂
Just found a blanco for $70, in Florida, typically I see them going for $130+
i havnt tried any of them but i have the blanco the still and repasado, just need the anejo
Someone went into my local shop and bought 5 of these at once. A few months before that it was just sitting on the shelf and I bought only 1 repo because I didn’t know it would become so rare. I ended up drinking the last of that bottle with family members at thanksgiving instead of saving it.
Thank you for such a thorough comment! yeah it's sure exploded in popularity and has become very hard (okay. Impossible) to find. One of my absolute all time faves
Very relatable
Agree with you. It’s always out of stock because 1 person will buy the entire shelf.
My local store had the single barrel reposado pick limit 1 per customer and that lasted 4 days before it was sold out.
where can I find in Atlanta, Ga towers doesn't carry it
At this point who cares about the price. Can’t find Fortaleza, period. I am at this moment talking to family member in different states to find me fortaleza. Didn’t want to do that, but it is on right now.
Right now I have a bounty set up for it, this is redicilous 😅
I came across three bottles this year still have one.
I’m in ny and found 1 bottle 3 months ago, haven’t found another since
Been that way in MA near me too
I was able to get a couple bottles and only reposado. I've been looking for añejo for ever. Currently have 5 reposado bottles I wanna save.
Repo is probably there best expression
LUCKY ME!! I was watching this video this morning and decided to call around... and I found some! I got 2 Blancos @ $56.99 and a Reposed at $66.99. The MSRP for these used to be $49.99 and $59.99 respectively. I think that went up to the current price about 8 months ago. I still haven't been able to find the Anejo, now $97.99 MSRP (Up from $89.99) (Ouch!) except from some outlets that want $199.99 for the Anejo (Super ouch!!).
I really like the Blanco the best but the Reposado is very, very good. A hint for those who can't find Fortaleza, Vulcan Blanco side by side, may be just a tiny bit better than Fortaleza. It also has great complexities, Master distilled by Anna Maria Ramon and was the 2023 Tequila of the year. So if you can't get Fortaleza get the Vulcan (Blanco) at $54,99. You won't feel deprived in the slightest! (And it's readily available at places like Total Wine and More.)
Siete Leguas is another that I like more as well!
I had the Siete Leguas anejo a few months ago. I liked it, and I'm not great with tasting notes, but it seemed especially strong with leather and tabacco - a little too much to make it a favorite for me.
Can you please review James Gin (James May from Top Gear / Grand Tour) Asian Parsnip or American Ramstud?
Great show ..
Thank you!
Found a store in stock at $149 a bottle. I just ordered bottle of still strength. Going to crack that bad boy on my birthday next month!
I agree best tequila out there right now. I think it’s your fault. When you started talking about it. I couldn’t find it and the price went up to $250. Thx for giving us great tequilas!
Oddly I found it in cases here 9n Japan and with yen rate it’s cheap
Great I understand the process is in-depth to make their juice. But who is handling the distribution and who is buying it all up and hoarding it.
You can try El Tesoro ,pretty good 🍻
El Tesoro is amazing.
I bought 2 bottles of the Blanco today for $49 each from my local Safeway.
USA impossible to find, in TJ i have a spot i find it evey time. Says Abuelos on bottle tho
It's called Los Abuelos in Mexico. That's also the name of the distillery.
Even when you do find it the price now is crazy they want 330 bucks for winter blend and 230 for anejo
I have 12 bottles of Blanco, and 1 bottle of still strength, and I’ve NEVER seen the WB, repo, or Anejo.
A few totalwines within a 15 mile radius from me all have Fortaleza at this time. You can only take 1 bottle though. They were really pushing the El Padrino when I got there which really isn't bad.
That's great that they have Fortaleza. But I'll have to disagree with you. El Padrino is awful. It's also a Total Wine brand. That's why they push it so hard
@@Lui_Fern Lol. Understood. Btw, please review 'TICO Tequila'. Can't find anything on it. No one has reviewed it yet and I'm unsure how long its been in production. Thanks in advance.
You 100% Absolutely positively without a doubt... Made me buy Fortaleza! Thank you! Its your fault!
Where they outsourcing there agaves. Buying it in bulk or growing and harvesting there own.
Found one for 140$ after tax in San Pedro tonight after having a whim to get into Tequila this weekend.
Like your content. Sorry, off subject but could you please review trader Joe's blanco,repo and anjo???
Also do these have additives?
Thanks
Heh no need, no good
Finding a bottle of it is very difficult but even worse up here in Toronto (though thank god I can pop down to the states for a bottle of El Tesoro)
Wow.. my daughter bought me 2 bottles for my birthday a yr ago. And it's great.. I just cracked open the 2nd bottle. And no, I don't share.
That is awesome! 😂😂 Happy you're enjoying it!
That makes sense. Thanks!
You're so welcome!
Scotch drinkers are overbuying. Flippers are finding out when bottles are coming in and buying all of it then selling it for 2-3 times msrp
I stay near a college town that has plenty in stock luckily
Oh wow! Lucky you
You did I would have never know about it without you.
Remembering fondly a time, not so long ago, when I could pick up a bottle of Fortaleza pretty much whenever I wanted one. In fact remembering when it was marketed in the U.S. as Los Abuelos. Oh well, there’s always…wait! No point in contributing to scarcity of yet another tequila. 😉
good breakdown of the process, Thanks Lui still trying to find Fortaleza for the home bar
Thank you my friend 😁🙏 happy you enjoyed it!
Have my two bottles at home and seldom drink it cuz it’s too hard to find.
in cali i got my in mira loma for 97 for the blanco
Worth the hype. I had some 2 weeks ago. Wow. Just wow. But they are controlling distribution heavily. For now, I stick to Casa Dragones.
I saw 1 in my local liquor store but there was no price tag on it so I thought maybe it’s a little pricey. I ended up going to Albertsons and found tequila ocho instead.
Not Tequila 8!!! Lui hates that stuff!
Since you know so much about so many tequilas would you be able to put together a list of common tequilas that are good ? Most of the ones you mention I can’t find in Michigan :(
Did you know that even an empty bottle of Fortaleza sells for like $20 on Sleeze-bay?
Does it really? That's so crazy to me hahaha
Kidding right?
Not at all. You can verify it if you wish.
I’ve yet to try it cause I can’t find it, but I hope they never stray from their method.
So where is it being sold?
I found a bottle of the Blanco at my local market without even trying. They do sell out but I got lucky and it was 50 bucks...I dont wanna open mine lol
I would put El Tequileno up against Fortaleza all day. A single NOM distillery with amazing flavor. It's easier to get, and they actually own Fortaleza's water source
😂 I drove from Canada to the states just grabbed 2 bottles of Fortaleza
Do a video (if you haven’t already)
What would you buy If you can’t fine Fortaleza !!!
Cazcanes
OoOooOo not a bad idea.
You over Hyped it on your RUclips channel.
That's the reason it's also wanted.
Can you review gran centenario reposado?
G4 Anejo is also impossible to find.
I went to the hood liquor store and they wanted 249 for the Repo I ask what are the nornal prices for the 3 different kinds?
How do I tell if my bottle is not fake??
If you can find it for 100 bucks would it be worth getting. It’s so hard to find.
Hopefully all the sales give the distillery more capital to expand production, just like Buffalo Trace did recently. 👍
They most likely won't expand production from what I've heard. I don't think they want to compromise on anything they make in fear of it impacting the end product
Buffalo Trace expansion did nothing for the consumer except somewhat help keep the bottom shelf of the line up around somewhat often, whooopidy do I want the good stuff. I know one hole in the wall store that had got Stagg jr every year for 6yrs thru batch 17 and they sold it for the intended price$ 65. Every where else online 299 or more. I cant afford to drink what I got cuz Ill never have it again.
I still gotta try it or just go to Guadalajara and get me a bottle of Los abuelos
I've been looking for months. No luck. Dallas area.
Even the blanco has now vanished from Houston, as far as I know. No repo for a year maybe. Never seen an anejo.
Seen 2 in Fort Worth. They wanted 150
this bottle in blanco is 100 dollars, no chinguen lol i love tequila if i can find one ill try it...and yea bro you might of had some influence lol..
Saw the Blanco for $199 in S. Jersey 🤣
Plenty of Tequilas that are in the top tier range - Cascahuin, El Tesoro, Ocho, G4, Siete Leguas……. If you see a bottle of Fortaleza at your local store, just buy it when you can. It’s too bad that there’s a new demand. I hope this doesn’t happen to the other high quality traditional no-additive Tequilas.
So say Jose Cuervo GOld is better to drive away people from Fortaleza. You know if you really have that much influence :P But in fairness where I live tequila options are few thus I cannot complain too much but I do try to research what I have to find a quality product.
Even when I do blinds with rookies they ALWAYS spot the Fortaleza
If you’re in PA tri-state area I know where I can point you in right direction. Serious inquiries only.
Fortaleza is King!!