FORTALEZA — BRAND
Fortaleza is a traditional tequila from the town of Tequila, Jalisco, made by Guillermo Erickson Sauza — the fifth generation of the Sauza family that helped start the tequila industry. He revived his family's original distillery to make tequila the old way: brick-oven roasting, a stone tahona, open-air fermentation and copper pot stills. This page covers the Fortaleza range — Blanco, Reposado and Añejo, plus the higher-proof Still Strength — each linked to its own page.
- The Sauza family helped start the tequila industry: Don Cenobio Sauza founded the original Sauza brand in 1873 and was the first to export tequila to the United States.
- Guillermo Erickson Sauza, his great-great-grandson and the fifth generation, grew up expecting to make tequila — but the family sold the Sauza brand in 1976, keeping only its smallest distillery, which had become a museum.
- In the late 1990s Guillermo set out to restore that distillery, La Fortaleza, on a hillside above the town of Tequila.
- By 2002–2003 it was distilling again, and the first Fortaleza was released in 2005 — built as an independent brand, not a Sauza offshoot.
- The tequila is called Los Abuelos ("the grandfathers") in Mexico and Fortaleza — for the stone "fortress" overlooking the estate — in export markets.
- Everything is made the traditional way, additive-free, and bottled at full strength (40% ABV) or higher.
Fortaleza's roots run to the beginning of tequila itself. Guillermo Erickson Sauza is the great-great-grandson of Don Cenobio Sauza, the 19th-century figure often called the father of the tequila industry, who founded the original Sauza brand and first carried tequila across the border into the United States. When the family sold that brand in 1976, they held onto the small original distillery — and decades later Guillermo brought it back to life, not to recreate Sauza, but to make something entirely his own.
At La Fortaleza, tequila is made by hand the way it was a century ago. Estate-grown blue Weber agave is slow-roasted in a brick oven, then crushed by a two-ton volcanic-stone tahona that presses the juice from the fiber. The mosto ferments in open-air wooden tanks and is twice-distilled in small copper pot stills, using well water drawn from near the old Tequila volcano. Even the bottles are hand-blown in nearby Tonalá, each finished with a hand-shaped glass agave stopper.
The Expressions
The Fortaleza range. We link each expression as it reaches the vault:
| Core | |
| Fortaleza Blanco | Unaged · bottled at full strength |
| Fortaleza Reposado | Rested in used American oak |
| Fortaleza Añejo | Longer-aged in used American oak |
| Higher Proof | |
| Fortaleza Still Strength | Blanco · higher-proof, straight from the still |
| Annual Release | |
| Fortaleza Winter Blend | Reposado · released each winter |
We link each Fortaleza bottle as it reaches the vault. Meanwhile, browse the wider tequila collection, or by style — blanco, reposado and añejo.
Collector Note
Fortaleza built its following the slow way — bartender to bartender — until it became one of the most sought-after tequilas in the world. Because production is small and entirely traditional, bottles are allocated and can be hard to find, and the annual Winter Blend and Still Strength releases go quickly. Lot numbers on the back label identify each batch, and condition and the specific release both matter to collectors.
Production Methodology
Fortaleza follows a process most large tequila makers abandoned generations ago. Blue Weber agave from the Tequila Valley is slow-roasted in a brick oven (a horno) for well over a day, then milled by a two-ton volcanic-stone tahona rather than a modern shredder, which leaves some agave fiber in the juice. The mosto ferments naturally in open-air wooden tanks and is distilled twice in small copper pot stills. The reposado and añejo then rest in used American oak whiskey barrels. Nothing is added, and the tequila is bottled at 40% ABV or higher. Exact ages, proofs and lot numbers vary by release and are listed on each product page.
Authentication & Vault Preservation
Every Fortaleza bottle sold through Midnight Whiskey is sourced as an authorized, authentic retailer, vault-stored and insured, shipped with protective handling and age-verified 21-and-over signature on delivery, and authenticated by our concierge before it ships. For the details, see how we confirm each bottle, vault storage and concierge service, and answers to common sourcing questions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Fortaleza tequila?
Fortaleza is a traditional tequila made in the town of Tequila, Jalisco, by Guillermo Erickson Sauza — the fifth generation of the Sauza family and great-great-grandson of Don Cenobio Sauza, who founded the original Sauza brand in 1873. Guillermo revived the family's historic distillery, La Fortaleza, in the early 2000s to make tequila the old way: roasted in a brick oven, crushed by a stone tahona, fermented in open-air wooden tanks and twice-distilled in copper pot stills. It is sold as Los Abuelos in Mexico and Fortaleza everywhere else.
What's the difference between Fortaleza Blanco, Reposado and Añejo?
Fortaleza Blanco is the unaged tequila, bottled at full strength — bright, peppery and full of cooked-agave character. The Reposado rests several months in used American oak, adding caramel and vanilla while keeping the agave forward. The Añejo ages longer for deeper notes of butterscotch, dried fruit and toasted oak. Fortaleza also makes a higher-proof Still Strength and a sought-after annual Winter Blend.
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