Cachaca 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.