Don Vicente Fuerte Blanco Tequila
Don Vicente Fuerte Blanco Tequila is the high-proof expression of Felipe Camarena's artisanal line — a limited batch bottled at 54% ABV (108 proof) without the pre-bottling oxygenation the core line gets, so the most angular, volatile aromatics stay in the glass. Crafted at the family-owned El Pandillo distillery (NOM 1579) in Jesús María, Jalisco, from estate Blue Weber agave, it is a 750mL bottle of traditionally made tequila at its boldest. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.
- Proof / ABV: 108 proof (54% ABV)
- Size: 750mL, limited batch
- Distillery: El Pandillo (NOM 1579), Jesús María, Los Altos de Jalisco
- Maestro tequilero: Felipe Camarena, 3rd-generation distiller, 6th-generation agave farmer
- Process: Stone ovens, mechanical tahona, mixed wood/stainless fermentation, copper pot stills
The Fuerte of Traditionally Made Tequila
Felipe Camarena is a living legend of Los Altos tequila — an engineer by training who rebuilt his distillery around innovations like steam jets above and below the stone ovens, and a mechanical tahona for gentle extraction. For the Fuerte, Camarena blends fermentations with and without agave fibers in wooden and stainless-steel tanks on proprietary yeast and deep-well water, double-distills in copper pot stills, and — crucially — skips the oxygenation step, leaving the spirit's mineral, citrus, and floral edges at full intensity. Browse the Don Vicente collection, explore more blanco tequila, and shop high-proof tequila at Del Mesa.
Tasting Notes
Bright, bold aromas led by crisp minerality, citrus zest, peppercorn, fresh apple, and roasted yam over deep cooked agave; the palate adds damp earth, wet clay, river moss, tarragon, and cacao, opening into exotic fruits — mangosteen, kiwi, candied raspberry, black currant — with a remarkably smooth, creamy delivery for 108 proof.
How to Enjoy
Give it a few minutes in the glass — the Fuerte evolves as it breathes, and the no-oxygenation style means the aromatics shift from angular to floral. Sip neat in a copita; add water only a few drops at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does "Fuerte" mean?
Spanish for "strong" — it denotes the high-proof 108-proof bottling of Don Vicente's blanco, bottled without dilution to standard proof and without the oxygenation the core blanco receives.
Who is Felipe Camarena?
A third-generation master distiller and sixth-generation agave farmer whose family built El Pandillo in Jesús María; he also makes G4, Terralta, Primo 1861, and Volans — some of Los Altos' most respected tequilas.
How is the Fuerte different from regular Don Vicente Blanco?
The Fuerte is bottled at 108 proof instead of 80, and skips the 24-hour oxygenation before bottling — a bolder, more mineral, more angular expression of the same estate agave.
Order Don Vicente Fuerte Blanco online at Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA — 108 proof of El Pandillo at its most uncompromising.