Tequila Forum

[tanstaafl2]

After attending an Agave Spirits class today at Holeman & Finch I was overcome by temptation and somehow came home with a bottle of 123 Diablito extra anejo tequila from the H&F Bottle Shop.

How did that happen??? :cool:

[squire]

I expect it was a choice of companions, we all can be led into temptation.

[tanstaafl2]

I expect it was a choice of companions, we all can be led into temptation.

Probably so! My companions today were Senor Tequila, Mezcal and Sotol!

[HighInTheMtns]

Probably so! My companions today were Senor Tequila, Mezcal and Sotol!

What mezcals did you drink?

[tanstaafl2]

What mezcals did you drink?

The tasting lineup included Del Maguey Vida, Del Maguey Minero and Fidencio Classico. The Sotol was the Hacienda de Chihuahua Blanco (Chihuahua is about the only readily available brand of Sotol that I have seen. I have the anejo) while the tequilas were Ixa Silver, Fortaleza Reposado (new in the Georgia market and quite good) and Arrogante Anejo.

In addition there were a couple of cocktails, the Kilted Pistolero and the In Bloom.

Kilted Pistolero - Very refreshing. A nice summer cocktail.

1.5 oz blanco tequila

3/4 oz Drambuie

3/4 oz lemon juice

2 dashes Angostura

Grated nutmeg garnish

Shake with ice and serve up. Float grated nutmeg.

In Bloom - A riff of sorts on the Negroni, it was much more dry, smokey with a moderate bitter finish.

1.5 oz Del Maguey Vida

3/4 oz Carpano Antica

1/2 oz St. Germaine

1/2 oz Compari

Stir with ice and strain into coupe washed with Rosewater.

[Max Power]

Probably so! My companions today were Senor Tequila, Mezcal and Sotol!

Those jerks always apply large amount of peer pressure.

[Alphanumeric]

Recently got a JC Platino (thanks to Max for the rec) and Centinela Reposado. The Platino is quite different from Fortaleza, which is my only other nice tequila. Fortaleza is bright and sharp and a preferable profile for me. On first taste, I felt it should be priced at $35 but I'm warming to it as a different style. I'm interested to see where I stand after I've had some more time with it. How would others categorise these two blancos?

I've yet to open the Centinela, but reviews are reassuring and I look forward to it.

[Max Power]

Recently got a JC Platino (thanks to Max for the rec) and Centinela Reposado. The Platino is quite different from Fortaleza, which is my only other nice tequila. Fortaleza is bright and sharp and a preferable profile for me. On first taste, I felt it should be priced at $35 but I'm warming to it as a different style. I'm interested to see where I stand after I've had some more time with it. How would others categorise these two blancos?

I've yet to open the Centinela, but reviews are reassuring and I look forward to it.

What does your Centinela bottle look like? round or square?

[Alphanumeric]

What does your Centinela bottle look like? round or square?

Square. There were two round bottles, añejo and reposado, on the shelf as well. I figured older was better, but younger happened to be slightly cheaper. Poor figuring?

[tanstaafl2]

Square. There were two round bottles, añejo and reposado, on the shelf as well. I figured older was better, but younger happened to be slightly cheaper. Poor figuring?

Square bottles are a newer version while round ones are a prior formulation based on what Max told me earlier in this thread. Max will no doubt clarify but you may want to seek out those round bottles!

[Alphanumeric]

Square bottles are a newer version while round ones are a prior formulation based on what Max told me earlier in this thread. Max will no doubt clarify but you may want to seek out those round bottles!

[unclebunk]

Don Julio Reposado and way too much Muchote Reposado last night. I also just put in another order with Hi Time Wine Cellars and picked up some Fortaleza Reposado among other things. What happened to the Corrido line?? How disappointing to see their stuff no longer available from Hi Time!

[Max Power]

Interesting. I'll probably grab them just for comparison's sake (what liquor nerd wouldn't?), but I can afford to wait for Max's green light since they looked like they were going nowhere fast.

I've actually enjoyed both versions, but the round bottle is more classic and tends to be preferred by tequila drinkers. I would give an edge to the round bottle ones, but I won't say that I don't like the square ones as well. The round bottles have a fruity agave flavor that is very unique and I can't think of another brand that has matched it. I would definitely seek out those bottles. The round bottle blanco never made it to the US, so the repo and añejo are the only expressions that you'd find.

[Max Power]

Don Julio Reposado and way too much Muchote Reposado last night. I also just put in another order with Hi Time Wine Cellars and picked up some Fortaleza Reposado among other things. What happened to the Corrido line?? How disappointing to see their stuff no longer available from Hi Time!

Corrido went out of business, but if you can still alter your order from Hi Time, I would recommend doing so. They are doing close outs on a few tequilas and have some unreal prices on them. http://www.hitimewine.net/Email-Specials.html

El Grado is made at the same distillery that Corrido was. At $11, I figured it was worth the risk to buy 6 bottles. I've never had 1519 Tequila, but I can definitely recommend Reserva de Mexico and Frida Kahlo at those prices. Reserva de Mexico is a bit softer on the palate and has some sweeter notes. Frida Kahlo is more traditional and has more green agave flavors. Both very solid...especially at those price. I've never had El Grado, but it is NOM 1526 (which made Corrido and Sol de Mexico and both of those are outstanding). I'd recommend adding a few of these closeouts if you can. It's well worth the risk at those prices.

And to get back to Corrido, the owner died and passion behind the brand went with it. It went out of business and stopped being made in the fall/winter of last year. I picked up about 12-15 bottles of the different expressions. There was a lot of love for the brand and now if you can find it, it will likely have a 30-75% mark-up from where it was. It's sad when great and moderately priced brands like that die off.

[Alphanumeric]

Corrido went out of business, but if you can still alter your order from Hi Time, I would recommend doing so. They are doing close outs on a few tequilas and have some unreal prices on them. http://www.hitimewine.net/Email-Specials.html

El Grado is made at the same distillery that Corrido was. At $11, I figured it was worth the risk to buy 6 bottles. I've never had 1519 Tequila, but I can definitely recommend Reserva de Mexico and Frida Kahlo at those prices. Reserva de Mexico is a bit softer on the palate and has some sweeter notes. Frida Kahlo is more traditional and has more green agave flavors. Both very solid...especially at those price. I've never had El Grado, but it is NOM 1526 (which made Corrido and Sol de Mexico and both of those are outstanding). I'd recommend adding a few of these closeouts if you can. It's well worth the risk at those prices.

And to get back to Corrido, the owner died and passion behind the brand went with it. It went out of business and stopped being made in the fall/winter of last year. I picked up about 12-15 bottles of the different expressions. There was a lot of love for the brand and now if you can find it, it will likely have a 30-75% mark-up from where it was. It's sad when great and moderately priced brands like that die off.

You're killing me, Max. Those are some killer prices. For the Kahlo and Reserva, what expressions would you recommend? Kahlo sounds like it's more up my alley.

[unclebunk]

Corrido went out of business, but if you can still alter your order from Hi Time, I would recommend doing so. They are doing close outs on a few tequilas and have some unreal prices on them. http://www.hitimewine.net/Email-Specials.html

El Grado is made at the same distillery that Corrido was. At $11, I figured it was worth the risk to buy 6 bottles. I've never had 1519 Tequila, but I can definitely recommend Reserva de Mexico and Frida Kahlo at those prices. Reserva de Mexico is a bit softer on the palate and has some sweeter notes. Frida Kahlo is more traditional and has more green agave flavors. Both very solid...especially at those price. I've never had El Grado, but it is NOM 1526 (which made Corrido and Sol de Mexico and both of those are outstanding). I'd recommend adding a few of these closeouts if you can. It's well worth the risk at those prices.

And to get back to Corrido, the owner died and passion behind the brand went with it. It went out of business and stopped being made in the fall/winter of last year. I picked up about 12-15 bottles of the different expressions. There was a lot of love for the brand and now if you can find it, it will likely have a 30-75% mark-up from where it was. It's sad when great and moderately priced brands like that die off.

Thanks for all the info, especially about the Corrido line. Such a shame that the owner passed away and that nobody was in the wings to fill his shoes, as their products truly were excellent. Sadly, I only have the one half full bottle of the anejo left and will now have to sip it gently over time to make it last as long as possible. I've never seen any Corrido on a store shelf around here and would likely balk at the extreme mark-up, unless it were closer to 30% than the 75% you mentioned.

I did see the HT email newsletter featuring the remarkable sale prices on the various tequilas which is what prompted my latest order on Saturday afternoon. In addition to the Fortaleza Reposado (I already own a bottle of the blanco and love it so thought I should try the reposado), I also took a chance on the El Grado Blanco and bought two bottles of it, as well as another two bottles of Muchote. At $11 per bottle (plus $4 per bottle to ship them) I figured I couldn't go wrong, but now that you've mentioned that it was produced at the same facility that made Corrido, I kinda wish I had bought two more. I mean, worst case scenario is that I'd have an nice affordable mixer if the stuff doesn't knock me out drinking it straight up. I probably should have investigated the Reserva de Mexico and Frida Kahlo further too at those prices, but didn't really know anything about them. Would you recommend one brand over the other? And would you suggest a particular one over another (blanco, reposado or anejo)? Thanks for any tips you may have for me.

[tanstaafl2]

Picked up a Fortaleza anejo today. Didn't see the blanco as an option and the reposado was out of stock.

Passed on an El Tesoro anejo (NOM 1139, was the only one on the shelf. Same place that makes Excellia which I like and El Tesoro used to have a decent reputation, not sure now), a 1921 Reposado that was the newer NOM 1535 (couldn't find a lot number) and a funky bottle of "El Cartel" with gold flakes floating in it from the same NOM (1416) that makes "celebrity" tequilas like Avion and Casamigos as well as Clase Azul. It's gold flake gimmick and celebrity association didn't help it much. Don't recall the price but it didn't garner much interest.

[unclebunk]

Picked up a Fortaleza anejo today. Didn't see the blanco as an option and the reposado was out of stock.

Passed on an El Tesoro anejo (NOM 1139, was the only one on the shelf. Same place that makes Excellia which I like and El Tesoro used to have a decent reputation, not sure now), a 1921 Reposado that was the newer NOM 1535 (couldn't find a lot number) and a funky bottle of "El Cartel" with gold flakes floating in it from the same NOM (1416) that makes "celebrity" tequilas like Avion and Casamigos as well as Clase Azul. It's gold flake gimmick and celebrity association didn't help it much. Don't recall the price but it didn't garner much interest.

Edited September 3, 2013 by unclebunk

[tanstaafl2]

poor wording on my part I suppose. Fortaleza is apparently relatively new in Georgia and doesn't seem to be in many stores at the moment. The store where I found it carried only the Reposado and the Anejo at present and the Reposado was currently sold out. Not sure if I would have purchased the Blanco anyway as I tend to rarely drink a blanco on its own and have more affordable options in blancos available for mixing. But it wasn't an option, at least not yet!

[unclebunk]

poor wording on my part I suppose. Fortaleza is apparently relatively new in Georgia and doesn't seem to be in many stores at the moment. The store where I found it carried only the Reposado and the Anejo at present and the Reposado was currently sold out. Not sure if I would have purchased the Blanco anyway as I tend to rarely drink a blanco on its own and have more affordable options in blancos available for mixing. But it wasn't an option, at least not yet!

Oh, I see. Fortaleza is very hard to find around here too which is why I tend to get it via mailorder. If you do find the Fortaleza blanco though I would highly recommend getting it, as it's one of those superb blancos that I truly enjoy drinking straight up. Its charms are subtle but rewarding and worth revisiting over and over again. I'm not very skilled at tasting notes when it comes to tequila but I'm sure Max Power has reviewed it or will have something to share about it. And very elegant looking bottles too, eh?

[tanstaafl2]

Oh, I see. Fortaleza is very hard to find around here too which is why I tend to get it via mailorder. If you do find the Fortaleza blanco though I would highly recommend getting it, as it's one of those superb blancos that I truly enjoy drinking straight up. Its charms are subtle but rewarding and worth revisiting over and over again. I'm not very skilled at tasting notes when it comes to tequila but I'm sure Max Power has reviewed it or will have something to share about it. And very elegant looking bottles too, eh?

If I see the Blanco I will certainly consider adding it as a sipping tequila. The package is indeed nice but generally the contents drive the spending!

Although interestingly tequila is one brand where the bottle can contain worthwhile contents and still be worth showing off without spending a fortune. Kah, Clase Azul and Milagro, with both the Select Barrel Reserve and Tequila Romance bottles, come to mind!

The Tequila Romance bottle is a personal favorite!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16542[/ATTACH]

[unclebunk]

If I see the Blanco I will certainly consider adding it as a sipping tequila. The package is indeed nice but generally the contents drive the spending!

Although interestingly tequila is one brand where the bottle can contain worthwhile contents and still be worth showing off without spending a fortune. Kah, Clase Azul and Milagro, with both the Select Barrel Reserve and Tequila Romance bottles, come to mind!

The Tequila Romance bottle is a personal favorite!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]16542[/ATTACH]

So many tequila bottles have fabulous designs and the Fortaleza is certainly one of my favorites due to its "traditional" look and the cool agave heart cork. The Clase Azul is very nice too. I rather doubt you'll be disappointed if you buy the Fortaleza blanco, as it has been hailed in a number of competitions and spirits magazines as being among the very finest blancos on the market. It truly is a traditionally-made small batch spirit, so there should be plenty for you to enjoy, though don't expect to be bowled over when you first sample it. It's the subtleties in the snifter that I appreciate most about it.

[Max Power]

You're killing me, Max. Those are some killer prices. For the Kahlo and Reserva, what expressions would you recommend? Kahlo sounds like it's more up my alley.

[Max Power]

I'll try to cover a lot of stuff in this post as well.

El Grado = made at NOM 1526, which makes some really awesome juices. I bought 6 bottles. They'll be here early next week and I'll let you know what I think.

Reserva de Mexico = Really easy on the esophagus. A very smooth and somewhat sweeter taste, but it's done very well.

Frida Kahlo = A bit more vegetal profile and the aging really rounds it out nicely. Was previously $40/50/60-70 on the expressions, but at these prices, it's an absolute steal. Probably the most complex tequila of the group.

El Tequileño = A personal favorite for sipping and mixing. The repo is a go-to standard for me. I've bought over a dozen of the blanco and repo since they got them in. I need to keep the stock to give to friends and for parties because it's a real crowd pleaser.

1519 = Have no idea, but at 12/13/14, I'll try all of them.

For Fortaleza, they vary a bit by batch because it is a very artesenal brand. From what I've heard (from people I truat quite a bit), the Lot 16 is one of the best blancos produced in the past decade. Really old school and delicious. Mine just arrived yesterday and I'll probably dip into it tonight and try to post if it's worth all the hype.

Regardless, Hi Time has great prices on just about everything. It's just sales like this that prompt the time to buy. I'll remind you all in November, but they have a 10% off sale early in the month and I stock up on some higher end stuff then. Glendronach 12 for $36...sweet. I generally pool up with friends and spend $1000+ on that order. It's a fun time.

[Alphanumeric]

Well I missed my order today due to work but anticipate a wealth of liquor tomorrow. It sounds like I picked out the right ones, those being the El Grado (2), Reserva de Mexico reposado, and the Kahlo blanco (would have gotten the añejo, but I was too slow). Also got Matusalem Gran Reserva, Barbancourt 5 Star, Clement VSOP, Dickel, and a handle of El Ultimo.

Fortaleza really is excellent, from the perspective of a novice. It's almost too bad I happened to get a Lot 16, since my experiences likely won't get better than this. Almost.