Lalo Tequila put the third edition of its annual High Proof blanco on shelves on November 5, 2026, a 48 percent ABV, 96 proof release fermented using bagazo and priced at $74.99 for a 750 milliliter bottle across 41 states.
The announcement, distributed through PR Newswire and picked up by BevNET, marks the Austin, Texas brand's first new bottling since Tito's Handmade Vodka agreed in September 2025 to buy a majority stake in the company.
What bagazo fermentation does to the 2026 bottle
Bagazo is the fibrous agave pulp left over after the cooked piñas are shredded and pressed for juice. According to the company's product listing, the 2026 High Proof ferments for 72 hours with that fiber still in contact with the must, then is distilled to proof and bottled at 48 percent ABV with nothing added afterward. Lalo's own account lists the same three inputs across its line: fully mature agave, deep well water and Champagne yeast, with production run out of NOM 1468 in Arandas, in the Los Altos Sur district of Jalisco. The company's release copy describes the resulting profile as cooked agave, warm spice and a buttery finish, with the higher proof adding concentration rather than heat.
How the series' proof number has moved since 2024
Lalo introduced High Proof on November 13, 2024, describing it at the time as the brand's first innovation since its launch. That edition was bottled undiluted at 54 percent ABV, or 108 proof, and sold nationwide for $74.99. The 2025 edition changed method rather than just strength: Lalo called it the brand's first tequila made by distilling to proof, meaning no water was added after the still, and it landed at 50 percent ABV, or 100 proof, again at $74.99 across 41 states. The 2026 release continues that distilled-to-proof approach but adds the bagazo fermentation step, and it lands lower still, at 48 percent ABV. Across three years the number printed on the High Proof label has moved from 108 to 100 to 96, even as the name and the $74.99 price have not changed.
Who owns Lalo Tequila now
Lalo was founded in 2019 by Eduardo "Lalo" González, David "R" Carballido and Jim McDermott, and the brand began selling in Austin in January 2020. González is the grandson of Don Julio González, whose name the elder family sold along with the Don Julio tequila brand in 2003. Coverage of Lalo routinely describes González as a third-generation member of that family and credits the lineage for the brand's single-minded focus on blanco. The company stayed independent until September 23, 2025, when Tito's Handmade Vodka, through its parent Fifth Generation Inc., announced a definitive agreement to acquire a majority stake, its first acquisition since Tito's own founding in 1997. Reporting at the time of the deal cited NielsenIQ figures showing Lalo's blanco posting volume and value gains of 79 percent and 81 percent respectively for the year to date through early September 2025. Under the agreement, González remains in charge of production while Lalo gains access to Tito's distribution network; financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.