Fortaleza Añejo in the new 700 ml bottle: tahona-crushed, copper-pot-distilled, 18 months in American oak, and still tasting of agave first.

Made at Tequila Los Abuelos (NOM 1493) in the town of Tequila by Guillermo Sauza, Fortaleza is cooked in brick ovens, crushed by a two-ton stone tahona, fermented in open wood tanks and double distilled in small copper stills, with no additives at any stage. The añejo rests a year and a half in used American oak, long enough for caramel, vanilla and butterscotch to settle over the cooked agave without burying it. Expect roasted agave, orange peel and baking spice on the nose, a rich, oily palate of caramel, vanilla and dried fruit, and a long, warm finish with a flicker of pepper. Hand-blown glass, hand-painted agave stopper. 40% ABV, 700ml.