Cachaca
Cachaca is a form of rum manufactured almost exclusively in Brazil, where it is phenomenally popular. Unlike rum, which is typically made from molasses, cachaca is made from fermented, unprocessed, fresh sugarcane juice. Cachaca is typically bottled unaged as prata, branca, or white cachaca, but aged cachaca is also on the market. This barrel-aged cachaca tends to be higher in quality and more approachable on its own. White cachaca is almost exclusively consumed in mixed drinks, most notably the caipirinha.
Top Cachaca Posts:
Cachaca 51
Avua Cachaca – Prata and Amburana
Rio’s Celebratory Caipirinha
Ypióca Empalhada Prata & Ouro Cachaça
Cãna is a new brand producing cachaca in Brazil from thrice-distilled sugarcane, distilled in large pot stills, then filtering it through coconut husk charcoal. No real surprises in how it’s made, so let’s dive right in to a tasting. This cachaca features a relatively mild nose, lacking the sharp petrol character you often find in…
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It’s been seven years since we reviewed the core lineup from Cachaca from Novo Fogo. Back then we praised the Silver’s nose of tropical and citrus fruit, with cedar, mushroom, and fuel-like aromas. Today, we have an update on the spirit dubbed the “Bar Strength.” As the name suggests this variant is targeted for on-premise…
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Abelha is a Brazilian cachaca that got its start in 2009, but which is only just now making its way into U.S. distribution. (It’s currently available in a handful of states in the northeast but has national availability online.) The organic, pot-distilled cachaca is available in two expressions, a standard silver and an ouro which…
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Brazil’s bustling cachaca brand, Avua, is back with two new expressions, further expanding its lineup. Details on each follow in the commentary for each option. Both remain distilled from local sugarcane Avua Cachaca Jequitiba Rosa – Another native wood expression from Avua, this one is aged in barrels made from Jequitiba Rosa wood, a common tree…
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Brazil’s Avua is back with another single-estate cachaca, this one a very rare edition called Tapinhoa. Tapinhoa is a dense hardwood found in Brazil, and Tapinhoa is aged for up to two years in a large cask made from this wood. (The Tapinhoã large vertical barrel was initially used by the distiller’s father on the…
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Cachaca 51 is the best-selling brand of cachaca in Brazil, the home of this unique sugarcane-based spirit. That may not sound like a big deal, but according to the producer, they sell 240 million liters of the stuff annually, which makes it the second-biggest-selling spirits brand in the world. (Independent research does not seem to…
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Most cachaca is barely palatable if you don’t dump a ton of lime and sugar into it to make a caipirinha, but Novo Fogo is clearly focused on quality. Using organic ingredients, the distillery produces both a silver and a barrel-aged version of its spirits (the latter is really the best way to experience this…
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Is the world ready for single-estate cachaca? Avua, made from single-estate sugarcane grown near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, is now available in two expressions, an unaged prata version, and an aged amburana cachaca matured for up to two years in casks made of local Amburana wood. While cachaca has a long (and largely deserved) reputation as…
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Cachaca, the national spirit of Brazil, tends not to be the most nuanced of liquors, but Soul, made in Cruz do Espirito Santo, is one of the better renditions I’ve encountered of late. Cachaca’s iconic aroma is typically that of gasoline, and while Soul’s got it too, it’s milder here than you usually encounter. It’s…
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Aged cachaca is a surprisingly rare thing, but mainstream producers are finally getting in on the game. Leblon, which makes the ubiquitous and eponymous silver cachaca, makes this fancy version by taking its pot-distilled cachaca and aging the spirit for up to two years in new Limousin oak casks. Formerly available only in Brazil, it’s…
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