There are countless tequila brands out there, but agave aficionados go particularly nuts for Tequila Fortaleza. Since its founding in 2005, the Jalisco-based brand has ascended to a unicorn status in the spirits world, à la sought-after bourbons like Weller or the even more elusive Pappy Van Winkle. Even whiskey taters are posting photos of Fortaleza bottles peppered in with their most recent hard-to-find bourbon hauls. And we can’t blame ‘em: All of the brand’s expressions are made with traditional distillation methods that skillfully showcase the essence of Blue Weber agave.
But thanks to Fortaleza’s stellar rep and its refusal to further up its production, tracking down a bottle isn’t always a possibility. If you manage to find one, it can run you upwards of $150, depending on how much the retailer is jacking up the price. That’s where VinePair has got your back. Below, we’ve compiled a list of the best alternatives to Fortaleza. In building this list, we factored in price, flavor, production methods, and a ton of other factors that equate to a good substitute for these coveted bottles. Some brands are based in El Valle (or Tequila Valley) where Fortaleza is made, while others hail from the highlands. But no matter where they’re from, these brands are dishing up clean, terroir-driven expressions of agave.
So, without further ado, here are VinePair’s eight best alternatives to spring for.
Tequila Cascahuín
Hailing from Los Valles, Tequila Cascahuín employs ancestral techniques in its tequila production. Much like Fortaleza,
