The Release
LALO Tequila has released its 2026 High Proof Blanco, the third edition of its limited annual series, priced at $74.99 per 750 mL and available across 41 states. The expression runs at 96 proof (48% ABV) and marks the brand's first High Proof to employ bagazo fermentation, a traditional technique that incorporates cooked agave fiber into the fermentation vessel alongside conventional inputs.
Production Method
In standard tequila production, spent agave fibers are removed before fermentation begins. The bagazo method retains those fibers — along with their residual natural sugars and native microbes — throughout a 72-hour fermentation cycle. LALO maintains its three-ingredient recipe of fully mature Highland agave, deep-well water from Jalisco, and champagne yeast, with bagazo serving as a process modifier rather than a fourth ingredient. The result, according to the company, is a viscous mouthfeel and an earthy, more concentrated agave profile that the brand likens to classic Highland blanco expressions.
Tasting notes describe an aroma of cooked agave, warm spice, and subtle butter, with a palate that layers allspice and silky texture against pronounced cooked-agave sweetness. The finish is characterised as long and agave-forward, with the higher alcohol content adding structure rather than heat.
Market Positioning
The premium and ultra-premium tequila segment has sustained strong volume and value growth in the United States over the past several years, with blanco expressions — once considered entry-level — increasingly commanding prices above $50 at retail. LALO's $74.99 price point positions the 2026 High Proof squarely in the super-premium tier, competing with limited craft releases from established Jalisco producers as well as a growing cohort of founder-led brands targeting the on-premise cocktail and sipping occasion.
LALO co-founder Lalo González, a third-generation tequilero, framed the release as a creative exercise grounded in heritage. "With the third edition of the High Proof, we wanted to produce a tequila that honored traditional methods while still pushing the boundaries of what a blanco can be," he said. "The 2026 High Proof has been an exercise in creativity for the brand, and combining that creativity with the traditional bagazo fermentation process has produced one of our most delicious, agave-forward High Proofs yet."
The brand is part of the Fifth Generation, Inc. portfolio, the Austin, Texas-based spirits holding company founded in 1997. The limited allocation ships to 41 states, suggesting controlled distribution intended to sustain scarcity positioning consistent with the previous two High Proof editions. For operators and buyers tracking premium spirits trends in on-premise channels, the release illustrates how craft tequila producers are leveraging production transparency — specifying fermentation duration, yeast strain, and water source — as a differentiation lever at the shelf. Retailers and distributors active in limited-edition spirits allocation should anticipate tight inventory across participating markets.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
