Fortaleza bottles (supplement)

Forgot to mention this in my previous post, but I learned a couple of interesting things about the bottles used at the Fortaleza distillery when I toured the place yesterday.

First, they use two different bottles: hand-blown and machine-made. The hand-blown bottles are exclusively for domestic distribution, while all exports go into machine-made bottles. Look at the punt (the dent in the bottom) - if it has an irregular "nipple" it's hand-made; if it has a neat finish with a stamped number it's not.

Second, all the bottles are etched with the "Los Abuelos" logo. The tequila was sold under that name until the makers of Ron Abuelo (the Panamanian rum) sued for infringement and won, so now the labels (most of them, anyway - see below) all say "Fortaleza" instead of "Los Abuelos." But in a subtle homage to his ancestors (and FU to Ron Abuelo), Don Guillermo still has the Los Abuelos label etched into every bottle.

Finally, you can still buy tequila with the Los Abuelos label, but only in Mexico. And even here it isn't distributed - a retailer who wants to carry it has to pick it up at the distillery.