What Is a ‘Still-Strength’ Spirit?
Curious drinkers love to dive deep into the intricacies of their favorite spirits. There’s a world of knowledge about everything from production to taste and texture that fanatics can sink their teeth into. It’s natural for them to want to taste a spirit in its purest, most expressive form. That’s why many aficionados are intrigued by still-strength spirits.
The label “still strength” describes a spirit that has been bottled directly from the still without the typical water dilution. Nose-to-the-ground drinkers favor these bottlings as the tasting experience is akin to what master distillers sample. Still-strength tequila has become one of the most popular still-strength spirits and gained a cult following of fans looking to taste this truest expression.
Despite the newfound attention, the Consejo Regulador del Tequila (CRT) — a non-profit organization that moderates tequila certifications and upholds the regulations enumerated in the Official Mexican Standard for Tequila — has yet to include still strength as an official classification. And understandably so: The popularity of still-strength tequilas is still relatively new, as it only recently gained traction with U.S. consumers who prefer other high-ABV spirits.
Still-strength bottling diverges from conventional distillation practices, as distillers usually add water to spirits to lower the ABV and increase the palatability. The common ABV for tequila is 40 percent, the legal baseline in the U.S. for an alcoholic beverage to be legally considered tequila. High-proof tequilas are less diluted expressions that surpass the 40 percent benchmark. But still-strength iterations often reach 55 percent ABV, or 110 proof — the legal cap mandated by the CRT.
Still-strength tequilas offer a thicker mouthfeel and more concentrated, expressive flavor than thinned-down styles. Typical tasting notes include cooked agave, butter, and pepper, with some bright, citrusy nuances. Tequila buffs can enjoy the pure version straight to fully indulge in what the beverage has to offer, but many bartenders also favor still-strength tequilas in cocktails. In a mixed drink, the added components can muddle the celebrated tastes of an average-ABV tequila. Opting for the undiluted expression allows tequila’s intricacies to stand out thanks to its stronger, more robust qualities.
Though still-strength tequilas have recently flourished as an insider trend, their production is not something entirely new: Early tequilas weren’t heavily diluted, so the style harkens back to the past. One of the first still-strength tequilas to enter the U.S. market was Tapatio 110 in 2013. With its name referring to its proof, Tapatio 110 popularized tequilas with an ABV at the highest legal limit among bartenders and others in the hospitality industry.
Another trailblazer in introducing still-strength tequilas to the U.S. is Fortaleza. Guillermo Erickson Sauza, Fortaleza’s founder, began bottling from the still after fans in America traveled to the distillery, tasted the brand’s tequila in its purest form, and became enamored with the rich, intense flavors.
In recent years, tequila brands have taken notice of the trend and released higher-proof and still-strength iterations. In 2022, Tequila Ocho debuted its high-proof Plata Puntas collection, which now hovers around 54 percent ABV, and, in 2024, LALO followed suit with its own High Proof edition. That same year, El Tequileño also added a still-strength option that comes in at 50 percent ABV.
Given the higher ABV and lower volume produced (due to the lack of dilution), the prices of still-strength spirits run higher than most brands’ traditional bottlings. The average retail price for El Tequileño’s Blanco label is $24 for 750 milliliters, whereas its still-strength bottle of the same volume averages around $61. Drinkers who prefer high-proof whiskeys, want a more powerful kick to tequila-based cocktails, or are simply curious about expanding their tequila repertoire should add still-strength tequila — or any still-strength spirit, for that matter — to their to-try lists.
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