LALO Tequila Uncorks Its First Still-Strength Blanco — and We Got an Early Taste

(Photo: LALO)

LALO Tequila, one of the biggest movers and shakers in the additive-free category, has unveiled its third offering since hitting the market in 2020. In keeping with the brand’s proclivity for unaged expressions, the latest release is once again a blanco, albeit with a few changes under the hood that are likely to excite agave fans.

For the first time, the brand is releasing a distilled-to-proof tequila bottled at 50% ABV. The technique, otherwise known as still-strength tequila (a phrase that LALO omits from the product description), has become enormously trendy within the agave spirits industry as of late. Under normal circumstances, producers add a splash of water to their tequila post-distillation in order to achieve a standardized alcohol content. LALO has skipped the extra step, theoretically creating a spirit richer in vegetal notes and distinct agave flavor.

The bottling is now available online at a suggested retail price of $75.

We were eager to taste the difference. The previous edition of LALO High Proof, bottled at 54% ABV, was one of our favorite releases from last year. It was packed to the brim with all the tropical, buttery sweetness that the brand is known for, plus an unmistakable kick of ethanol that lingered on the finish alongside tons of pepper and minerality. Delicious stuff from front to end. But, truth be told, we never stopped to think: “This needs more agave flavor!”

A day before the launch of the 2025 edition, we were invited to a tasting session hosted by founder Eduardo “Lalo” Gonzalez. The goal was not merely to taste LALO’s latest and greatest, but to understand the science of diluting to proof. A hodgepodge of bartenders, content creators and writers sat down in a loose semicircle, as if we were awaiting a college seminar on all things alcohol.

And that’s exactly what we got. After trying a glass of 50%-ABV tequila, we were each given a beaker containing 25 milliliters of water — the exact amount necessary to proof the batch down to 40%. The water separated into tiny strands of liquid as it was poured into the glass, forming a sort of H2O spiderweb that disappeared after a quick stir.

The difference was immediately noticeable.

Sipped on its own, LALO 2025 High Proof feels like an entirely different beast from the brand’s usual fare. The nose opens with a big whiff of dark, caramelized agave, followed by a hit of saline and under-ripe fruit somewhere between green mango and plantain. The palate delivers much of the same, alongside a wallop of earthiness that emerges as the dominant flavor. We tasted hints of cocoa, walnuts, cracked black pepper, wet stone and orange pith. A lovely, drawn-out finish makes room for citrus and a flash of cinnamon.

If regular LALO is bright, buttery and tropical, then the 2025 edition is its brooding older sibling. Even compared to last year’s High Proof, it feels like there’s a lot more minerality and terroir going on here, in line with the flavor profile you might expect from lowland agaves. It’s an unexpected change of pace.

The latest bottling from LALO is so much more than a compromise between the brand’s past releases, and we can’t wait to see what other experiments it has in store down the line. Find our full review of LALO High Proof 2025 here.