The San Francisco World Spirits Competition has named Don Fulano’s Blanco Fuerte as the best tequila of 2024. This is according to the Tasting Alliance, which runs the San Francisco competition and many others. The competition received hundreds of spirit entries that were blind taste tested by industry experts. To earn a double gold medal and Best In Class distinction is no small feat.
The Don Fulano brand has its origins steeped in history, owned by the Fonseca family who have been farming agave in the highlands of Jalisco for five generations. The La Tequileña Distillery (NOM 1146) produces many tequila brands and Don Fulano tequilas are made with only three ingredients: hand-selected Maduro and Pinto agave, a proprietary yeast, and volcanic water.
The resulting tequilas are unfiltered and free of additives. I’ve tried several other Don Fulano tequilas and enjoyed them as well but the Fuerte is a critic favorite and personal favorite as well.
I’ve had the chance to taste this tequila several times as a sipper and have also begun experimenting with it for cocktails. At 100 proofs, it’s designed to have a higher alcohol content than a regular tequila. You might expect more alcohol to mean more burn, but that doesn’t happen here. You get a strong booze backbone but it’s still smooth and has a mellow mouthfeel that makes for easy drinking.
I get prominent agave and citrus notes on the finish and love every part of drinking this tequila. For margaritas, it adds a level of booze and a strong agave flavor. I also love it in a tequila and tonic – this is a go-to drink for me but sometimes the tequila flavor can be drowned out by the strong tonic. That doesn’t happen here.
Bottom line: this is a world-class tequila that lives up to the hype of its recent award. I love having it around for my own drinking but it’s also fun to ask guests who are over the house if they want to try the tequila that recently was named world’s best by a prestigious spirits competition.
Source: Forbes
