Cachaca Peruacu

Bythefatrumpirate

Cachaca Peruacu Rum Review by the fat rum pirateCachaca Peruacu. The producers behind Cachaca Peruacu have been active since 1995 producing cachaça. However, the Cachaca Peruacu brand has only been in existence since 2012.

The name Peruacu is derived from the indigenous Tupi Guarani language and means “Big Cave”. The Cavernos do Peruacu National park, which is located in the North of Minas Gerais is home to more than 140 ancient caves. Cachaca Peruacu is produced in Januaria, Minas Gerais. One the real “heartlands” of cachaça. A bit like Barbados or Jamaica in cachaça terms.

The production of cachaça Peruaçu is performed during the dry season (June to September). This is when the producers feel the Brix (sugar content) of the cane is at the best level for cachaça production. All harvesting and preparation of the sugar cane is done on site and within 12 hours of the harvest.

As an artisanal cachaça, without chemical additives the “yeast caipira”, used in fermentation is manufactured on site, with a little of the syrup mixed with cornmeal.

Cachaca Peruacu is then distilled on small Alembic Copper Pot Stills before being aged for two years in native Amburana wood casks. Cachaca Peruacu retails at around R$40 in Brasil which is around £8. Once again were this to make it to the UK I would be surprised to see it much cheaper than £30.

Presentation wise the label and logo are quite modern but the bottle style is old school cachaça, long bottle with a short thick neck and an oversized screw cap top. The cachaça comes in a variety of size bottles the 670ml retails at the R$40 mark and is the largest I can see.

Whilst the brand have a website – it doesn’t even have a photo of the cachaça! It’s quite good for information but could be improved. The website suggests chilling this cachaça and drinking it neat.

In the glass we have a straw/white wine coloured spirit. The nose is very aromatic – quite flowery but with a lot of “butteryness”. In some ways a bit like rum butter. Sweet notes of slightly sweetened squirty cream and vanilla ice cream. Which mingles alongside a nice spicy hint of ginger and baking spices. Shortbread, custard creams and just a very slight hint of aniseed.

It’s a really nice nose for such a young cachaça. It has minimal “boozy” notes despite being a slightly higher ABV of 42%.

Sipped, not chilled it is again a real surprise. I really like these amburana aged cachacas this is no exception. Really nice creamy delivery on the palate with just the right weight of spicy ginger and vanilla notes. There is a slightly zesty note in ther as well. A touch of lemon juice but nothing which throws the cachaça off balance.

Finish wise – as I am finding with a lot of cachaça, it isn’t overly big or complex but this one seems to linger slightly longer than some of a similar age. It’s a nice clean, fresh slightly peppery finish with a lot of vanilla and ginger notes.

It is perhaps in the mid palate and the finish where you notice most that this is a fairly youthful cachaça. It does get a bit uneven in places. The nose and the initial entry are definitely the best part of this cachaça.

I did mix this and whilst it worked pretty well especially in a Caiprinha. I found it superior as a sipper though. Mixed, it was perhaps a touch too light and it lost a lot of flavour. At the price point,(if you are in Brasil) you might struggle to find a cachaça that is as tasty as this as sipper.

It’s not perfect or one of the greatest cachaca’s I have ever had but its bordering on being very good! I dare say another year or two in the amburana and we might have a real contender on our hands.

 

 

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  • Cachaca Japi Classica

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cachaca Japi Classica Rum Review by the fat rum pirateCachaca Japi Classica. This cachaca hails from Itupeva, Sao Paulo. It is produced at the JP Distillery. Cachaca production at JP Distillery began as far back as 1890. However, in 1925 the property on which the distillery was housed was sold to an Italian immigrant Cyrineo Tonol.

    Cyrineo decided that he wished to cultivate coffee as it was more lucrative so the distillery was deactived and the cultivation of coffee beans began. Unfortunately partly due to the US Stock Market crash and the resulting “Great Depression” demand and the price of coffee plummeted between 1929 and 1931.

    Whilst the family were able to find other ways to make the land profitable the distillery wasn’t reactivated until 1948. Cachaca Japi was born.

    The name Japi refers to the Serra do Japi, which is the mountain range in which the JP Distillery is located. I’ve been unable to find out why the distillery is called JP unfortunately.

    Cachaca Japi do have a website but I struggled to get it to translate into English. I’ve pieced together the best information I could work out! So bear with me if anything is wrong.

    Cachaca Japi Classica has been aged in Amendoim barrels for 9 months. It has been bottled at 39% ABV. In Brasil I bottle will set you back around $R25-30 (£4.50 – £5.60 UK). Where we to sit in the UK I would expect it to be priced at around £25-30.

    Prior to distillation and bottling the sugar cane is produced and harvested manually on site. All sugar cane is then processed within 24 hours and the juice begins the fermentation process. Once completed distillation takes place on Copper Alembic Pot Stills only. No column distillation is used at JP distillery.

    So let’s move on and see how I found this particular “white” cachaca.

    In the glass we have a crystal clear liquid, the 9 months of ageing in Amendoim have not added any colour to the spirit.

    The nose on Cachaca Japi Classica is very pleasant with very minimal alcohol fumes. I was expecting a bit more fire to be honest. It noses a lot “older” than I was expecting. It has a lovely elegant floral balance. Rosewater and some grassy notes mingle along really nicely.

    Further nosing reveals some light citrus – lemon and lime and a touch of grapefruit. There is a slightly herbal note as well with hints of lemongrass and some light basil.

    There are some aromas of toffee and ginger as well.

    It’s a really complex nose for such a young spirit. There are no off notes and it all works quite nicely.

    Sipped neat it is a real palate cleanser of spirit. Full of clean citrus and vegetal notes on the initial sip. A good hit of spices as well – ginger and a touch of white pepper. As you move into the mid palate the cachaca becomes a little bitter with more spice and some woody notes.

    The more floral aromas that were present on the nose are in the mix throughout giving this cachaca and extra layer of complexity.

    Finish wise, like many cachacas at this ABV it isn’t overly long or complex. You get a fair amount of spicyness left behind but this is more young alcohol than anything else. That said this cachaca is marketed more as a mixer/shot than a Premium Sipping Cachaca.

    Cachaca Japi Classica Rum Review by the fat rum pirateUsing Cachaca Japi Classica for mixed drinks makes for some excellent classic drinks. A Caiprinha with Classica Japi Classica is a really enjoyable spicy/citrus heavy affair and Ti Punch is really great – a bit more ABV would have made this even better.

    The 9 months in the Amendoim wood has really given this a bit of an edge over most white unaged cachaca. I think it has really tempered some of the young alcohol. Kind of smoothed off the edges and added a nice layer of complexity in its place.

    Good stuff – I’d certainly be keen to try their Ouro given the chance.

     

     

     

  • Castelo Branco Aguardente de Cana

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Castelo Branco Aguardente de Cana cachaca rum review by the fat rum pirateCastelo Branco Aguardente de Cana. Castelo Branco (White Castle) are a cachaca producer from Goias State. The brand is owned by Luiz Mantiega Alvares de Campos Filho.

    It was formed in 1946 when Luiz’s grandfather who moved to Goias from Abaete set up a distillery using a 500 litre Alembic Copper Pot Still, from Minas Gerais. As well as being the owner of Castelo Branco Luiz is also the President of the Goiana Association of Cachaça Alembic Producers – AGOPCAL,

    Castelo Branco Aguardente de Cana is produced from estate sugar cane juice which is distileld on Alembic Copper Pot Stills. The distillery currently has 3 Pot Stills with a 1000 litre capacity. Once the cachaca has been distilled it is rested for 2 years in 25,000 litre capacity Peanut Tree wood vats. It is then aged in ex-bourbon oak barrels for a year.

    In the glass Castelo Branco is white wine in terms of colour. With the ABV of 44.5 the nose is sharper and stronger than a lot of other cachaca. It is quite sweet with wafts of double cream and vanilla ice cream. There is a slight tangyness to it as well with some nice orange citrus notes. It has a lovely balance to it and is very inviting.

    In terms of availability, again this is a cachaca which is only available in Brasil. It retails at around the R$50 which is around £8. As you can see from the photos it is an “old style” cachaca. It comes in 600ml bottles. It has a very rustic feel to it a little “home made”. If it were to come to Europe and the US it would need an update, without doubt.

    Whilst rum might have a bit of a problem with too much “Premium” looking product cachaca is a bit different in that some very good cachaca is packaged with what appears to be very cheap, out of date styles of labels. It will be interesting to see if Castelo Branco Aguardente de Cana falls into this bracket or it is as cheap and nasty as it appears!

    I don’t have a great deal else information wise on this cachaca at present. I could not find a website for them only a small article here, so I may as well proceed with having a taste.

    Sipped Castelo Branco is very easy to drink despite the slight increase in ABV. The initial sip is quite sweet but there is a nice balance of smoky wood and some peppery spice. Lots of ginger but it is a very clean, refreshing spirit. Initially the finish seems to fade quite quickly as the flavour on the initial sip is quite intense. However a few sips in it as if the finish has built itself up. The medium length finish is again slightly smoky with a nice balance of sweet vanilla, cloves and some peppery spices to add a little excitement.Castelo Branco Aguardente de Cana cachaca rum review by the fat rum pirate

    As with many rather archaic looking cachaca’s the proof is in the pudding and fancy packaging isn’t needed with a spirit this tasty.

    I’ve only sipped this cachaca because I found it really pleasant that way. No doubt it would work well mixed but I felt it was too good for that.

    A really pleasant surprise for quite a young cachaca (and yes the packaging did initially make me a little apprehensive.

    I found this quite similar to the Havana Anisio Santiago, which is high praise indeed.

    A really pleasant surprise and a great sipper.

     

  • Cachaca Santa Terezinha Canela Sassafraz

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Cachaca Santa Terezinha Canela Sassafraz Review by the fat rum pirateCachaca Santa Terezinha Canela Sassafraz. Back on the cachaca today with another review from the Santa Terezinha brand. I previously reviewed their Arte release. Santa Terezinha hails from Espirito Santa and have producing cachaca since 1943.

    I covered Santa Terezinha’s production methods in my last review. So I won’t repeat myself. I will however cover the make up of this particular cachaca. I have not come across a cachaca which has been aged in Canela Sassafraz before. Being perfectly honest ,I have little idea what this might be other than some kind of native Brasilian wood or woods. I have come across Sassafras Root before (both in the form of being an ingredient in Root Beer and by way of a Green Day song on the album Dookie). At this stage I am unsure if there is any link. So I best find out.

    Canela Sassafraz (or Sassafraz) is an Evergreen tree native to Brasil. It is more commonly known as Brasilian Sassafras or American Cinnamon. However, neither a true Cinnamon or Sassafras.

    Sassafras is found in It is native to Brasil and found in the states of Bahia, Minas Gerais, Parana, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina and Sao Paulo. It is endangered due to habitat loss, so you will rarely see it used for cachaca. Upon looking this kind of cachaca up I could only find this expression and one from the Weber Haus brand.

    Cachaca Santa Terezinha Canela Sassafraz has been aged 4 years in Canela Sassafraz barrels which have been re-charred. As with Santa Terezinha Arte this cachaca has been distilled in small batches on authentic Pot Stills. In Brasil this cachaca retails at around R$80 which works out at just £15 in sterling. Were this to enter the UK market I would expect to see it for sale at around the £40-45 mark. It has been bottled at 38% ABV and is/was (I found it hard to find a bottle for sale) available in a 500ml bottle.

    Presentation wise it’s a little on the gaudy side with a bright pink/purple label. It has a screw cap but you do get a card sleeve to store the cahcaca in. You can find more information on their website as well.

    So lets see how I find this particular expression.

    In the glass we have a very dark spirit by cachaca standards. It’s a very dark slightly reddish brown colour. Nosewise Santa Terezinha Canela Sassafraz is also very different to many aged cachacas.

    It has an almost molasses rum like nose. Lots of stoned fruits and red grapes. It smells almost like a Spiced Rum. Lots of sweetened apricot and canned fruit in syrup. Further nosing reveals a bit more cachaca character. A slight butteryness and some hints of cream. Touches of vanilla and a dusting of mixed spice.

    So far it is a very unusual cachaca. In fact I am wondering if this would class as Cachaca Dulce (sweetened cachaca). Certainly it does as the hydrometer reads only 24% ABV which indicates around 40g/L of additives.

    It makes a bit sense now when they say the barrels are “coated”, I see…….

    Sipped it now pretty clear this has some form of additives. It’s a sweet kind of dessert spirit. A nice array of spices – cinnamon, touch of clove, tiny hit of ginger and some sweet toffee and caramel notes. It’s a touch too sweet for me.

    With the sweetness comes an initial burst of sweet fruity flavours and sugar but this quickly fades leading to a less than inspiring mid palate and finish.

    Pretty much nothing really a slight touch of buttery cachaca once the sweetness goes but there is nothing left on the finish.Cachaca Santa Terezinha Canela Sassafraz review by the fat rum pirate

    All in all this is a kind of almost Spiced Cachaca. It is noted on some websites as being “Gourmet” Cachaca and its advised to use it in cooking or drinking as a mixer. One such suggestion was coconut water which did dial the sweetness of this cachaca down a bit.

    From speaking with the producers this a cachaca produced to be used in cooking, rather than drinking, though it can be drank in a conventional manner as well.

    It still wasn’t really for me though. That said the Santa Terezinha do make a good job of their regular cachaca with is more for my tastes.

     

     

     

     

  • That Boutique-y Rum Company O Reizinho Distillery Aged 3 Years

    Bythefatrumpirate

    That Boutique-y Rum Company O Reizinho Distillery Aged 3 Years rum review by the fat rum pirateThat Boutique-y Rum Company O Reizinho Distillery Aged 3 Years. This is the second bottling from That Boutique-y Rum Company to hail from the O Reizinho Distillery on the Portuguese Island of Madeira. Which is of course the birthplace of the world famous sporting star Moises Henriques.

    Maybe there is someone else a little more famous than him, some footballer or something.

    O Reizinho Distillery is little known outside of Madeira. Even in the capital of Funchal I cannot recall seeing any of the O Reizinho branded rums, that I have noticed appear online recently.

    Portuguese Rhum Agricole or Agricola da Madeira is certainly on the rise. It first came to my attention a couple of years ago at London Rumfest when the William Hinton brand were exhibiting.

    That Boutique-y Rum Company O Reizinho Distillery Aged 3 Years is a batch of 1,936 50cl bottles. The rhum has been bottled at 52.6% ABV. The eagle eyed among you may notice that “The Olive King” on the front of the striking label is a bit older than on the Unaged bottle. This has after all been aged for 3 years. It has been aged in ex-Madeira wine casks. It is casked at 50% ABV but due to Madeira’s climate they lose more water than alcohol from the distillate so the ABV increases rather than decreases. The rum is very lightly filtered and no additives or colourings have been used post production.

    You can pick up a bottle of this at Master of Malt for what I think is a more than reasonable £42.95.

    In the glass we have a dark brown spirit with yellow tinges around the edges. The nose is much more developed and “mature” compared to the Unaged White O Reizinho also released by That Boutique-y Rum Company.

    The funky notes of the Unaged Batch 1 have been replaced with rich warming notes of fortified wine. Sherry, especially and a splash of Port. Blackcurrants, plump raisins and prunes mingle alongside smoky tobacco notes and dark treacle.

    Further nosing reveals a slightly funky edge with notes of burnt banana and green olives. Salty and rich but not as pronounced as they were in the Unaged rhum.

    Sipped it is initially a very fiery spirit with lots of chilli powder and salty seaweed like notes. Dark chocolate and some tart gooseberries. Further sips reveal an almost savoury note of leeks and crispy seaweed from the Chinese Takeaway (Dried cabbage as far as I am aware).

    As an Agricole style rhum this is quite sweet, with some nice vegetal notes. It has a good balance similar in many respects to something like Rhum JM XO. It’s very definitely an agricole but it lends itself in many ways to a molasses style rum.

    Further sips reveal more of the fruity notes of Port and Sherry. There is a very definite smokiness to this rum, which adds an extra layer of complexity.That Boutique-y Rum Company O Reizinho Distillery Aged 3 Years rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Finish wise the rum is pretty short in that respect. It is quite intense on the palate and the mid palate is fairly substantial but the finish does fade pretty quickly. You aren’t left with a lot of flavour.

    That said for a 3 year old rhum this is a very interesting sip. From memory it has more balance than some of the Madeira Agricole, I have tried in the past. It has a Madeira influence but it doesn’t dominate the spirit.

    It is easy to forget that is just a 3 year old rhum.

    Much better for me than the Unaged Batch 1

  • Bristol Classic Rum Enmore Still 1988

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Bristol Classic Rum Enmore Still 1988 rum review by the fat rum pirateBristol Classic Rum are perhaps more famous for their red labelled Port Mo(u)rants.  This 1988 Enmore Still bottling seems to have flown under the radar. It has not attracted anywhere near as much attention.

    As this Enmore Still rum was distilled in 1988.  It is likely that it was actually produced on the old Enmore Distillery site rather than Demerara Distiiilers Limited (DDL).  The record books tell me that Enmore Distillery did not cease production completely, until 1993.

    In the world of Independent Demerara rum it can be very difficult to judge one bottle from the next.  The Enmore Still used for this should be the EHP (Edward Henry Porter) Continuous Coffey Still.  Which you might think will simplify things…….not entirely.

    The EHP still can produce nine unique marques of rum from light to heavy.  From what I can gather this rum is a lighter style.  From speaking with John Barrett (the owner of Bristol Classic Rum) this rum has been aged for 20 years in American Oak (Bourbon Casks) and did not have any kind of finish applied to it.  It spent most of its twenty years ageing here in the UK.

    Which along with all the various stills and marques of rum available under the Demerara name adds another factor when it comes to a potential purchase.  Tropical Ageing or Cooler Climate European Ageing.

    This rum was bottled way back in 2008.  I’m not quite sure how long after that it was made available.  I have been told that the only remaining bottles are already with the retailers.  There will be no further issues of this particular vintage – this is all Bristol had and its now all gone as far as they are concerned.  I didn’t get tube container with this bottle and the label is more the old style Bristol label.  So it must be a good few years old.

    In the UK a bottle of this (if you can find one) will retail at around the £90-95 price point and it is bottled at 43% ABV.

    The Enmore Still 1988 is a very light Demerara rum.  Similar in colour to Bristol’s Diamond Distiilery 1998.  A light gold to straw colour.  It is slightly cloudy suggesting no filtering.  The colour also suggests no or minimal caramel was added.  It is often not the bottler who adds the caramel.  DDL are known for adding caramel before the rum is aged.

    The nose is pretty big, like the Port Mo(u)rant bottlings, it has a slightly musky, sulphourous note to it.  It’s almost savoury smelling.  Leather and tobacco.  Reassuringly after a little time in the glass you get less sulphur and more balanced oaked aromas. The lighter style of the rum comes through more.  You get a more familiar raisined Demerara note.

    Bristol Classic Rum Enmore Still 1988 rum review by the fat rum pirateSipping this rum is a bit of a mixed bag. It starts out fairly light with some sweet fruit notes – raisins and a touch of banana.  It then changes very quickly.  The more oaked notes take over along with some sulphurous chemical like flavour.  These notes overwhelm the palate.

    Further sips reveal more of the lighter notes, more fruit for a little longer but again the mid palate and the finish are overwhelmed by the more musty tobacco and almost petrol like notes. You could well believe that this was an experimental blend of Caroni and Demerara.

    The finish is very hot and spicy and long lasting.  Its mainly the leather, tobacco and slightly petrol like notes (or fumes) you are left with, unfortunately.

    From a personal viewpoint there isn’t enough of the fruity Demerara notes in this rum.  Not enough complexity beyond the oaked notes to make this a really brilliant rum.  It’s not a bad rum but there is a sense that its a little overoaked,  Maybe the lighter rum just wasn’t quite up to 20 years of ageing?  You just get the feeling that one of the components in this rum just hasn’t quite turned out as you might have hoped.  Something has just went a little wrong with this.

    It’s a piece of history.  For a 20 year old rum it isn’t really that expensive.  Compared to the Silver Seal Enmore 2002 – this falls quite a way short.  It’s a good authentic rum.  One that I am pleased to have tried but it wouldn’t be one I would buy again.

    3 stars

  • Santiago de Cuba Anejo

    Bythefatrumpirate

    Santiago de Cuba Anejo rum review by the fat rum pirateSantiago de Cuba rums are quite frustrating bottlings to find.  This is not because this site is American but imports of these rums seem to be quite sporadic. All manner of different aged expressions seem to come out of the distillery as well.

    It is quite confusing sometimes to work out which is which. It is not unusual to see older style bottles still for sale online.

    Luckily for the UK, JBE Imports (who also import the excellent Ron Cubay) are now importing three Santiago de Cuba expressions. Carta Blanca, Anejo and Extra Anejo 12 Year Old.  The latter is reported to be Fidel Castro’s favourite rum.

    This rum is often noted as being a 7 year old.  To be fair to the brand, I have never seen this on any of the bottles.  The Extra Anejo is noted as a 12 year old rum – age statements are also present on the 11, 15, 20 and 25 year old rums.  How often all these expressions are actually released is unclear.  They do seem to appear only briefly and irregularly.

    This rum is currently available online at Master of Malt for £24.95.  It is bottled at 38% ABV.  It comes in a stubby 3/4 height 70cl bottle.  The presentation has been updated in the past few years to align with the logo used in the older expressions – its clear and unfussy. If a little uninspired.

    Santiago de Cuba Anejo rum review by the fat rum pirateFrom what I can gather, Santiago de Cuba is produced at the same rum distiilery that the Bacardi family were forced to leave during the Cuban revolution.  Ron Caney is also produced at this facility amongst others.  From researching Cuban rum it seems that a great number of different brands all seem to come out of the same distilleries.  Which makes me wonder just how different each expression actually is!

    Part of this curiosity has led me to invest in a few different Cuban rums.  I can then taste a few alongside each other and look for similarities.  It would be quite embarrassing if I awarded brands different scores and then found the juice to be exactly the same.  Not that I am saying that is the case, not yet anyway!

    In the glass the rum is a nice reddish/golden brown.  The nose is unmistakably Cuban.  It is reminiscent of the older Havana Club rums.  It’s sweet smelling, an almost red wine like note – almost descending into a vinegary aroma, slightly acidic.  There is a little vanilla and some dark chocolate notes and tobacco.

    As an “anejo” it may or may not stand up as a sipper.  To be fair most don’t really stand up to being sipped as they are only a few years old.  Many Gran Anejo’s aren’t that impressive as sippers either!  They are terms to be taken with a pinch of salt.Santiago de Cuba Anejo rum review by the fat rum pirate

    Sipped the Anejo is very spicy.  It doesn’t taste young in terms of alcohol burn or overly sweet immature notes. It is pretty sharp on the palate though.  You get a spicy burst, followed by some oak.  Most of the flavour – the vanilla and chocolate leaves the taste buds almost instantly.  The finish whilst reasonably long is very one dimensional, oaky and bitter.

    Sipping this rum is not an unpleasant experience but its a pretty short lived one in terms of flavour.

    As a mixer the rum works very well.  A Cuba Libre made with the SDC Anejo is a very tasty experience.  The oak and tobacco notes shine.  You get the sweeter red wine like notes and you get a nice spicy rummy kick along the way as well.

    All in all not a bad Cuban rum and if memory serves me correctly, its a good deal better than Havana Club 7.

    3.5 stars