We visited Fortaleza Tequila during their annual renovation, so unfortunately much of the property was closed and we were a bit limited in what we could see. That said, even with those constraints, it was still a very cool and worthwhile experience. The tequila itself is absolutely delicious -- truly top-tier. The tasting pours were generous (definitely heavy-handed in the best way), which made it easy to fully appreciate the craftsmanship and complexity behind each expression. You can immediately tell how much care and tradition goes into their process. What was open gave us a glimpse into the fascinating history of Fortaleza, and the staff did a great job sharing the story behind the brand. The campus itself is beautiful, serene, and clearly special -- even partially closed, it left a strong impression and made us want to come back when everything is fully accessible. All in all, while the timing wasn't ideal, the quality of the tequila and the experience still shined through. This is a must-visit for tequila lovers, and we'll absolutely be back to see it in full once renovations are complete. See you soon, Fortaleza. read more

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The best tequila tour in Tequila. Worth the price and the time. Highly recommend!! This should be included in your trip itinerary.

So that's how artisanal, small-batch tequila is made! Our three-hour tour of the Fortaleza distillery covered tequila making from soup to nuts, or--more accurately--from agave plant to bottled elixir! Guide Kim provided a fascinating, lively narrative throughout our visit. We started with a wonderful hike through the estate with Kim describing the cultivation of agave, the propagation of the plant and the critical role of jimadors. Our group got a closeup view of the extraction of juice from the cooked agave piñas and the bottling process--a mere six at a time! I now understand why Fortaleza is nearly impossible to find in our hometown of Chicago. Shout-out to Chris at the Map Room who encouraged us to book this tour! No tour is complete without a tasting; ours was held within Cava La Fortaleza, a hand-hewn cave equipped with a bar and tables. Without much fuss--unlike other distilleries--Kim guided us through samples of Fortaleza's blanco, reposado and anejo tequilas. Delicioso! read more

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OMG!!! What an amazing day I had visiting the Fortaleza distillery. Kimberly gave us an informative lecture on the history of the family and tequila Highly recommend this place read more

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Amazing tour, beautiful view and the best tequila in Jalisco. 100 percent recommend! Fish tacos were fire. read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

Did the Vive Abuelo tour and it was amazing! Our tour guide was very informative and shared a lot of information on the history and process of making tequila. We tried all of the tequilas they offer and it was they were excellent. I highly recommend checking this tour out if you're in tequila. read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - All of their tequilas that we sampled. - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

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A must for tequila lovers! The location is stunning and full of history. Learning about the family and the process was fascinating, and our guide Victor was passionate and knowledgeable. An unforgettable experience--highly recommended! read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - View of Tequila, Jalisco - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

this place is beautiful. went with my whole family and extended family and the tour , food, vibe was incredible. I'm coming back in a month for my next Mexico trip read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

A very informative tour and lovely place to visit when in Tequila. Kimberly was very knowledgeable and answered any questions we had. Great experience! Also, the fish tacos from Sandy's tacos were good along with the Paloma's. Just make sure you book your tour in advance. read more

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This is the 4th time we have done this tour with Fortaleza... words cannot express the amazing experience here.. such a lovely tour and so informative. The tequila tasting omg!!! No words. read more

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Our 2nd time doing the tour. Victor has been our tour guide both times. We love his presentations, very informative, detailed and great knowledge of history of Los Abuelos. We'll be back!! read more

10/10 los recomiendo el tour. Muy bien. Aprendimos mucho de este tour. Gracias a todos read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

Our tour guide Kim gave us a wonderful and knowledgeable experience. Great views, scenery, and history on the distillery. Highly recommend read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

Amazing service and tequila. It's the best best best bets best best best best best best best best bets best read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - Love it - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

Victor is a great guide. Very informative! He explains everything in detail and takes his time answering questions.

The tour given by Kimberly was great. Lots of family history and I have a new appreciation for tequila now. The fish tacos at end of tour were delicious. Service is great all around. read more

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Strongly recommend this tour, our guide Victor he was excellent!!! Very knowledgeable on everything, not to mention he was funny and kept us entertained the entire time. Place is very clean and tequila sampling is the best!!! read more

It was a amazing place and I loved the tour so much . I recommend coming here to take the tour read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - The agave - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

100% LOVED this place and tour. It was quite an experience! First off, we got lucky enough to book a tour of the facility. I was informed that Sundays are well-deserved rest days for the staff. We accidentally showed up a bit too early and walked around the neighboring areas to check out the distilleries present. In this area, seems like there an abundance of them--well known and hidden jems. When we returned at our scheduled tour time, we confirmed our reservation and got checked in at the gift shop. We actually saw some dogs by our waiting area and were told that they are fostered in hopes of being adopted. We were told that a lot goes into getting dogs adopted, big thanks to Guillermo. Note: at this time you have to have an appointment to enter, including to shop at the gift shop. We toured the grounds where they produce the product and bottles--going across the street and into the buildings on property to see where they store the barrels for aging product, where they do the bottling, labeling, and affix toppers. The only thing we did not see are the agave fields where the product is maintained. Fun fact is that Guillermo lives at the top of the area, close enough to the distillery. We even got to try some cooked agave to see the difference between this and actual tequila. In the area where the product is tested, we got a little taste test of the Blanco Still Strength right from production. The grounds are gorgeous (we walked by a sanctuary where they keep animals maintained and were also told about the tie to Gullermo's late dog Sandy, also the namesake for a Fish Taco spot on property) and also includes a mini Golden Gate Bridge and lake. The staff was doing preparations for the first ever wedding to be held on the Fortaleza grounds. The last part of the tour included entry into a "man cave" and allowed for us to taste through some expressions of Fortaleza--Blanco, Reposado, Still Strength Blanco, Anejo. The tour guide was very knowledgeable and also reached out to grounds workers if the answers to our questions were not readily available. We also got a little presentation on the history and background of the distillery from before to present day. We were also joined by a bachelor party group/the wedding party for the next day festivities. It was honestly one of the best tours I've been on and super intimate and full of detail. If given the chance, I'm definitely going to return. The whole thing took approximately 1.75 hours and thankfully they also provided us with water throughout the tasting and tour. At the end, we splurged at the gift shop and bought some branded apparel and bottles to bring back since it is still hard to find these items where I'm from. 10/10 in my book. read more

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What an awesome place!!! Kim was the best tour guide possible. Learning how tequila is made was such a thrill. Samples were plentiful and tasty. I wanna come back! read more

Great distillery, great tour, great tequila, triple threat you can never go wrong love Fortaleza!! Don't forget to stop at Sandy tacos read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - I love this place!!! Would highly recommend it to who ever is visiting Tequila Mx. great tequila and rich history. Always visit - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

Great tour with Kimberly. She was super knowledgeable. We loved walking the grounds and learning the history of this artisan tequilera. Would highly recommend. read more

Awesome tour. This is the best experience we had while in Tequila. And the best tequila you can find.

The Tour was amazing ! Kim was great :) Sandy's tacos at the end were perfect. It was a great time.

Victor is the best guide. Highly recommended. Very informative bothe English and Spanish.

Best tour ever. Eunice is the best. Can't miss it. For everyone to see. You have to come get your tour

This distillery tour is hands down the best in town! Our tour guide was named Ana (I apologize if I'm wrong) but she was the best! She was very detailed in the whole process of tequila making. She was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions! Our family was super pleased with the amazing service & and attention to detail the Fortaleza family has with providing everyone the best service and best tasting tequila. Would come back in a heart beat!! read more

I used to think of tequila as a cheap drink that no one enjoys the taste of (bad college memories, anyone?). So much so that on a trip to Jalisco, we nearly skipped Tequila, thinking there was no way we would like it. Turns out, our visit to Tequila and Distileria Fortaleza ended up being our favorite part of our entire Mexico trip. If you're on the fence, go! Scheduling was tricky, as the phone numbers on the website don't seem to always work. I believe you can schedule in advance via email if that's easier. When we finally got the phone to work (ask for Eunice (pronounced eh-oo-niece-eh)), they were kind enough to accommodate us later that afternoon. Upon arriving from the twoish hour drive from Guadalajara, they promptly gave us water (smart!), checked if we would like our tour in English or Spanish, and we were on our way. Eunice was awesome and walked us through the entire process, from the jimadores harvesting the piñas all the way through bottling the distilled tequila. Fortaleza still uses pretty old-fashioned techniques that limit how much they can produce but make for a very high quality drink and an absolutely fascinating distillery tour. Following our tour, we got to taste tequila in a very neatly lit and decorated bar in a cave, as well as eat some nice snackies such as guacamole and spiced peanuts. Pours were generous and while we drank, Eunice continued teaching us and answering our questions. All of this was included in the $25 USD per person fee, making our whole day an incredible value. We left the tour with a perfect level of buzz and a healthy new respect for tequila and the people who make it. The tour, the trek to/from Guadalajara, and wandering the streets of the adorably colorful town of Tequila (check out the market for cheap and delicious local eats) made for the perfect day trip. From driving through agave fields on the way in to learning about and tasting the difference between reposado and añejo, we had a blast. Highly recommend this distillery tour! read more

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First time here and this place is a must stop if your in tequila Guadalajara family run distillery in a beautiful setting at the base of a hillside with animals, blue agave plants and fruits n vegetables beautiful setting went a 30 min hike of the property Miroslava was an excellent tour guide and the tequila is to die for well done forteleza read more

Destileria La Fortaleza - Tours Near Me - Tequila, JAL

This was such a wonderful tour. You get an in depth look at the process & history of the distillery. Victor was a great tour guide. Really makes you appreciate all the hands & effort that goes into it! read more

Destileria La Fortaleza is totally amazing! I came here last weekend with my girl friends for my bachelorette weekend getaway. A lot of people of course recommend me to take the Jose Cuervo train, but a really close friend said that if we wanted to experience "the real Tequila", THIS was the place and she was so right! First of all, they are the only distillery in Tequila that keeps it old school when it comes to the preparation of the Tequila. Is truly amazing to see the process and effort that comes with the preparation of this amazing Tequila. You honestly don't feel like you are in a factory (like in others distilleries) and it makes it so much more special. Another really cool thing, is that all of their bottles are hand made; being able to see the process of how they make their bottles made me appreciate the work even more ....aka. I'll definitely be keeping mine as decoration. The lady who gave us the tour was amazing, and so fun! She honestly made our experience 10 times better, and was super patient to all of our questions and "photo sessions" at every magical spot she showed us. Besides showing us the distillery process, she gave us a tour of the area and explained to us who the owners was and the history behind this beautiful ranch. They also have a little cave where there are actual bats (YES bats!) and you can relax and taste tequila. It was honestly super cool, because I've never seen or heard of anyone that uses a small cave as a bar area. I had the best time at this place and I would honestly recommend it to everyone! read more

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We tried to go visit due to the good reviews. We found out you must make a reservation online 36 hours in advance and they ask you a bunch of questions like what is your line of work, where you are from etc. You must wait for them to reply and accept your request for a reservation. As if it is a weeding out process. What a disappointment and loss of business for them. Don't bother. read more

This review should have been posted long ago..... but I just recently recognized the toppers for these bottles, the same ones that are hand made at the distillery, at a high end, Michael Mina Restaurant (Bourbon Steak) in Glendale, CA. I casually asked the bartender about the tequila and he described it as one of their "high end" tequilas. I visited Fortaleza in December and it was such an amazing experience. I would 100% pass up Jose Cuervo (very commercialized) and visit Fortaleza. I prefer the intimate setting at any place. Take the tour! It's family atmosphere and friendly and knowledgeable staff make it even better. You're taken to the top of the hill for the best view of the property and will end the tour with food at the lake. Of course the tour came with a tasting at their cave! read more

Fellow Yelper Jon B. and I were in Guadalajara and wanted to make a day trip to Tequila. The night before, we realized we had no plans of where to go and what to do. I had remembered a tequila distillery called Fortaleza that many bartenders talked about, so Jon reached out to them. He has a vlog called Here Be Barr and asked them if he could film at their distillery. The staff could not have been more accommodating, getting us a private 2pm tour the next day with Miroslava. We arrived to a few really cute dogs looking for some attention, and after a custom water bottle ("Water Up!" it said) we were on our way. I've done brewery and whisky distillery tours before, but this one blew them all away. I'm not sure if we got special treatment or if they're this nice to everyone, but we got to see and interact with all steps of the process. I drove a machine to help crush agave, and Jon and his girlfriend helped label and bottle tequila. Every employee we passed was high fiving each other... they all seem to really like each other and enjoy working there. After a short hike, we were at the highest point overlooking all of the town of Tequila, including Fortaleza's beautiful property with agave fields. Jon got some amazing drone footage and I hope he'll upload some footage here. At the end we went into a cave to officially try their different tequilas and have some snacks. We are all lightweights and only had a few shots, but you can likely have much, much more if you wanted. We ended the tour with a free t-shirt and another bottle of water for the road. Just a great way to spend a few hours in Tequila. They only do tours by appointment, so make sure you contact them to set it up. I believe it's $25 a person. Well worth it! read more

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Absolutely the best tequila tour ever. We had Bianca as our guide and she was truly amazing and offered so much detail about her product. The tour is very personalized and intimate, our small group was extremely pleased. I am truly a big fan of this brand. If you reserve the tour remember to get the lunch that goes with it if you can. read more

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Highly recommend the tequila tasting tour! Kimberly was super informative & friendly! Overall great experience!

Came here for a bartenders industry trip 2018! It was so well organized and the distillery was just amazing. One of the most popular tequila is still stone crushed agave, individually blown bottles, and hand labeled. The view was spectacular at top of the property if you have a chance to explore. I highly highly recommend to check out this amazing distillery. read more

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I find it hard to write this review because I fear that those who read it may never get a chance to experience the awesomeness that is, Destileria La Fortaleza. It certainly helps to know someone, which way the key to getting us connected, through the (massive) front doors, and delivered the most amazing tour of this beautiful distillery. Kobe was our guide for the day and this man knows his Tequila. How well does he know it? Hell, homeboy wrote a book on it and I bought it! https://www.amazon.com/Tequila-Mezcal-Complete-Kobe-Desmet/dp/9401434646/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1526669067&sr=8-1&keywords=mezcal+and+tequila+book+kobe The tour itself leaves you asking yourself, "why have I been drinking anything but Fortaleza?" It also leaves you telling yourself: "I'm never buying a bottle of Tequila other than Fortaleza." It's amazing to see the process that hasn't changed much if at all over the years. I mean, they still had a donkey pulling the tahona to crush the pina until it died a few years ago - it's since been replaced by a small electric vehicle. The bottling building was my favorite part and also the most humbling. It's here that you'll see the attention to detail that goes into each and every bottle that Fortaleza produces. About twenty people complete the various processes that complete each bottle including the handmade molding, painting and carving of the bottle topper, the bottles hand washed with Tequila, the manual filling station, the hand-applied labels, the quality check for defects, the finishing process, and the packaging - it's mind-blowing. Every single bottle gets the same exact treatment and with Fortaleza's massive exposure in San Diego I always assumed that their "factory" would be massive. Thankfully it's not and I feel absolutely honored, privileged, and humbled to have had such a beautiful experience and to have been welcomed into the Familia De Fortaleza. read more

If you are ever lucky enough to be invited into this distillery, don't even hesitate - GO!! I say invited for a reason: You cannot just simply walk up to the gates and be let in. You have to be invited or have been granted a tour ahead of time. Keep that in mind and prepare ahead of your next visit to Tequila. You won't regret the extra effort! I won't go into too much detail about the tour itself because there is so much that is so amazing and interesting that you really should just see it for yourself (also, I don't want to ruin the surprises!!). What I will say is that the amount of craftsmanship you see going into a single bottle of this fine tequila is unlike anything I've ever seen before. You may have been on tours before where you watch machine after machine package, fill and seal all of the products, one after the other. Sure, there's something cool about that. But at La Fortaleza, it's all done by hand. There's a human being behind every step of the distillation and bottling processes. It's truly remarkable. The other plus? It tastes AMAZING! My favorite was the Reposado, but the Blanco, Anejo and even the Still are also really well done! Also worth mentioning is our awesome tour guide, Kobe. I've never met anyone more knowledgable about tequila than he is. Seriously. He's like a walking encyclopedia of tequila and agave. Our group must've asked him a billion questions and he knew the answer to every single one (including what the best bar was in town to check out after the tour!). He's also super cool and easy to get along with. So, call ahead, plan your visit and enjoy your tour! You have my word that it'll be the highlight of your trip to Tequila! PS- Be sure to look for Sandy while you're there! She's the absolute sweetest!! read more

I spent 4 months in Mexico.. and this Distillery Tour may have been one of my highlights.. Tequila's best kept secret.. ? The first thing to note about La Fortaleza Distillery (outside of the tasty tequila) is that they do not publicize their tours. You need to contact them privately. We got a media tour (due to my YTube Travel Channel) but they charge the general public $25.00. I would have paid $25.00 no question for what we received. We arrived at 2 PM, and our guide Miroslava was already waiting for us. We were handed bottles of water. For the next 3 hours, we walked around their MASSIVE property. We saw how tequila was made, and packaged.. We took part in some hands-on experiences.. like helping label a bottle and driving around the small van inside that helps brew the agave. There was more.. but i'll let you figure it out. We also sampled.. A LOT of Tequila.. I'd estimate at least 5-6 shots.. but we weren't even going that crazy.. I recommend eating something before going on this tour. This is a great example of a craft tequila, with it's distinctive smoky taste. They use an old school method, which you'll learn more about.. As an extra bonus, you'll get to walk around the enormous property, taking pictures. Then hike to a view point, for one of the best views in this Pueblo Magico. If you visit Tequila, skip the crowds and pay $25 to take a private tour of an amazing place. Trust me. read more