Cachaca Princesa Isabel Balsamo Jaqueira. This Cachaca hails from Linhares in the state of Espirito Santo. Cachaca Princesa Isabel is produced at the Fazenda Tupa on the banks of the River Doce. If you have a look on their Facebook page, you will be able to see the stunning countryside that surround the Fazenda.

The production process for Cachaça Princesa Isabel begins with the cultivation of the cane varieties RB7515 and RB5453 at the Fazenda. Once grown the sugar cane is manually harvested, without any burning of the cane. The sugarcane is then crushed within 12 hours of being harvested.

Part of the “bagasse” is used in a boiler to heat the distillery and the rest for the composting and supplementation of feed for the Nellore cattle, from the Fazenda. The “vinasse” resulting from the distillation of Cachaça Princesa Isabel is stored in a waterproof tank. It is later used in the fertilization of the fields at the Fazenda. 

Cachaca Princesa Isabel is produced on Alambique Copper Pot Stills which were made for the distillery.

The particular cachaca I am reviewing today is slightly unusual in that the cachaca has been aged in both Balsamo (Balsam) and Jaqueira (Jackfruit) woods. The Jackfruit barrels are coopered from Jackfruit trees grown locally in and around the Fazenda.

Cachaca Princesa Isabel Balsamo Jaqueira is presented in a tall thin bottle. With a wooden topped cork stopper. The presentation is very modern and would not look out of place in a high class bar or liquor store.  It retails at around R$100 (around £15) for 750ml bottle. Were it to come to the UK I woudn’t expect to see it retail for anything less than £35-50.

It has been bottled at 42% ABV. It has been aged for a year in Balsamo and a year in Jaqueira. So two years old from what I understand.

In keeping with their Facebook presence and presentation of their bottlings Cachaca Princesa Isabel, also have a very useful website. So should you want further information then take a look.

So lets see how we find this particular cachaca.

In the glass, we have a straw/white wine coloured spirit. Maybe a shade darker perhaps.

Nosing Cachaca Princesa Isabel Balsamo Jaqueira , it has a lovely hit of sweet sugar cane. It’s quite fruity with notes of pear, white grape and a touch of mango. A little time in the glass allows some slightly soapy notes to come out which are pleasant and delicately floral.

The nose is nicely balanced and very inviting.

Sipped Cachaca Princesa Isabel Balsamo Jaqueira is quite unlike any cachaca I have tried before. The presence of the Jaqueira wood really gives this an unusual flavour.

Initially it tastes quite like a lot of cachaca, its not as sweet as the nose suggests and the initial entry is a little spicy with notes of white pepper and some oak. There is a nice herbal note to it. It’s got a soapy kind of aftertaste on the palate which might not sound very nice but its actually quite enjoyable.

The mid palate moves into even more herbaceous notes. Pine cones and some notes of mint and a touch of tree sap.

Finish wise it isn’t the longest of finishes. The flavours do dissipate quite quickly.

However, it does leave behind a very refreshing “clean” tingly mouthfeel.

With so many cachacas, available in the market in Brasil, it is nice to see something a litttle bit out of the box. When I noted what this has been aged in I decided to put it near the top of future cachaca reviews as I was keen to see how it worked out.

Well I can report that this combination has worked really well. A very nice start for me with Cachaca Princesa Isabel. If you have taken time to look on their website, you will note they have a range of different cachacas available. As luck would have it I think I may have a sample or two of those as well.

I’ll be looking forward to reviewing my next Cachaca Princesa Isabel. Great start.