Fortaleza Reposado - Winter Blend 2024

90 SCORE

“I want to preface this that I traded some high(er) value bourbon for this and maybe some coping is involved in my rating. Nose: vanilla, cooked agave, slight ethanol, a hint of baking spice Palate: holy sweet. It’s actually so sweet it almost hits you with confectionary sugar notes on the front palate. Mid-palate moves to the more vanilla notes, with that vegetal earthiness I feel like is “classic Fortaleza.” The back palate has just a touch of fruit and pepper. The whole mouthfeel / viscosity is the best I’ve ever had in a tequila. Finish: this is where the largest influence of those cream sherry casks is felt. Lingering pepper and almost wine notes. Finish is very long for a tequila. This is definitely the best tequila I’ve ever had. I will say I’ve only had probably less than 50 different types of tequila throughout the years and this is the first winter blend that I’ve tried. But I will be savoring every pour from this bottle and I’m happy to have paid under MSRP in trade.”