Fortaleza Reposado in the new 700 ml bottle: tahona-crushed, copper-pot-distilled, rested about seven months in American oak so the agave still leads.

Made at Tequila Los Abuelos (NOM 1493) in the town of Tequila by Guillermo Sauza, a fifth-generation Sauza, Fortaleza is cooked in brick ovens, crushed under a two-ton stone tahona, fermented in open wood tanks and double distilled in small copper stills with nothing added. The reposado's short stay in used American oak softens the edges and adds butter, caramel and vanilla without covering the cooked agave, citrus and sage underneath. The palate turns to apple, earth and cinnamon with an oily texture and a long, gently spiced finish. Hand-blown glass, hand-painted agave stopper. 40% ABV, 700ml.