Cachaca Sebastiana Duas Barricas Quatro Anos

Bythefatrumpirate May 9, 2020

Cachaca Sebastiana Duas Barricas Quatro Anos. Hailing from the Alambique Santa Rufina, Rodovia, Sao Paulo state. The brand Sebastiana is fairly recent to the market but the distillery has been operational over 60 years.

Prior to the release of the Sebastiana brand in 2014, the distillery produced (and still does) Cachaca Faceira. It was the second generation of cachaca producers in the Mattos family who decided to enter what they term as the “Super Premium” cachaca market.

Cachaca Sebastiana’s name derives from this little tale spun on the website

“In the 1960s, Fazenda Santa Rufina, located in Ibaté, a city in the interior of the state of São Paulo, produced cachaça so good that one of its great connoisseurs compared it to the legs of a beautiful girl who worked at the sugar mill, named Sebastiana . For this reason, initially, the “danada de boa” cachaça was named by the Barros de Perna de Moça family. Much time has passed, and in order to rescue more than 60 years of tradition, the second generation of producers from Alambique Santa Rufina, launched its super premium cachaça with the name of Sebastiana, also in honor of the girl with beautiful legs.”

Although Cachaca Sebastiana have their own website. It does not give much background as to how this cachaca is produced. So I have to hunt around and do a bit of guess work.

Cachaca Sebastiana is produced from hand harvested estate grown sugar cane. Once fermneted the wash is then distilled on Alembic Copper Pot Stills. For this expression the resulting distillate is then aged for 2 years in Castanheira (Chestnut) casks and then it is transferred to American Oak for a further 2 years maturation.

Cachaca Sebastiana have 4 expressions in their portfolio from a Cristal cachaca, to this their Super Premium release. As you can see from the pictures this particular cachaca is already well geared up in terms of presentation, for release outside of Brasil. Indeed whilst researching this particular brand I noticed that the notorious (ask any Canadian rum fan living in the province) LCBO (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) picked Cachaca Sebastiana for distribution back in 2017.

Sadly, I could not find it listed currently on the LCBO website. Nor can I find this currently outside of Brasil for sale. Which is a bit surprising as it has faired very well at some well respected competitions such as IWSC, as recently as 2018.

Cachaca Sebastiana Duas Barricas Quatro Anos is bottled at 40% ABV. Presentation wise it comes with a concise clutter free label and the square, squat shaped bottle is topped of by a cork stopper with a black wax seal. It has a Premium Rum look to it. In Brasil it retails at various price points depeding on the seller. In the end I went with the producers own link. This shows it usually retails at R$275 (£38) but is currently reduced to R$190 (£27).

Should this come to the UK I think it would be pretty pricy around £80 at a guess.

So lets move along and see how this latest cachaca tastes. spices

In the glass Cachaca Sebastiana Duas Barricas Quatro Anos is a light golden brown colour.

Nosed, I am immediately but in mind of American Bourbon Whiskey, there is a strong aroma of oak and vanilla. Especially when it has just been poured. Given 5 minutes you begin to notice more traditional cachaca aromas. Nice wafts of double cream and a waxy soapy note.

Further nosing reveals more spices and aromas -ginger,a touch of licorice and fennel. A fruity almost white wine burst of grape and a twist of lemon juice. It’s delicate, yet complex enough to be rewarding. It’s all very harmonious and well balanced.

Sipping Cachaca Sebastiana Duas Barricas Quatro Anos it is quite a distinctive and unusual tasting cachaca. It is more “citrus” heavy than the nose suggested. Quite “lemon-ey” in terms of flavour. The slighty sharp note is contrasted and balanced by delicate creamy flavours of vanilla ice cream and creme fraiche.

The mid palate is a touch on the light side. It doesn’t hold it’s flavour quite as well as I would like. This would certainly benefit from an uplift in ABV to around 46%. That should help sustain the flavour of the cachaca, which whilst fairly brief is very tasty and distinctive. You’ll sip this often and it’s very drinkable. There are no off notes with it.

Finish wise again it is slightly lacking. It is just a bit too gentle and it leaves little more on the finish other than some light ginger and a touch of oak.

Great nose and a lovely entry and whilst the flavour lasts this is very good. It just almost seems to run out of steam. That said I think a higher ABV would easily solve this issue. It would be more in keeping with something like this.

Had this been a little less expensive, I likely would have cut it more slack. However, they market it as “Super Premium”……..

Tellura Prata

Tellura Prata
Bythefatrumpirate May 24, 2018

Tellura Prata. Tellura is a recent addition to the Cachaca producing family in Brasil. Formed in 2015 Tellura with the aim to produce quality, handmade and sustainable Cachaca.

Cachaca has been produced at Abadia Farm, Campos dos Gotacazes in the north of the state of Rio de Janeiro for over 100 years. Tellingly Tellura is located strategically just 48km to Port do Acu so it is already, geared to export outside of Brasil.

The export market may also play a part in the presentation of Tellura. As a relatively new company I would expect quite a modern design. The design is clean and clear and reminds me a little of the presentation of Leblon. Leblon is one of the biggest Cachaca exports and is widely available in Europe. The colour scheme of green, grey and white is clean and crisp. The bottles are bar tender friendly and they do look well set to break into the “Caiprinha” market with this white Cachaca.

Tellura Prata is bottled at 40% ABV.

The sugar cane on the estate/farm is harvested manually and it is milled on the same day. They have 4 Copper Pot Stills with an annual capacity of 600,000 litres of Cachaca. Despite only being in production for a few years it is one of the biggest Cachaca plants in Brasil. Quite an achievement when you consider how many they are!

Tellura use a variety of different barrel types and have three different Cachaca’s on offer. Tellura Prata is not aged in wood. It is stored in stainless steel tanks for 6 months after distillation. It is noted as being a Cachaca for mixing rather than sipping.

In the glass Tellura Prata is crystal clear. The nose is a little like a muted version of Wray & Nephew. It has a slightly glue like note and hints of black pepper and hints of pear and pineapple.

It is quite vegetal and grassy – the overwhelming note is very cane forward with a slight sourness on the nose. For a 40% spirit it is very punchy with some very punchy fruity notes like bruised bananas and fermented pineapple juice.

A fan of funky Jamaican rums or Clairin will be very much at home with this Cachaca. It has a freshness which is sadly lacking in some white Cachaca which is produced in a more industrial manner.

Even without the native Brasillian woods which are quite floral Tellura Prata has a lovely sweet floral note – something which makes it recognisable as a Cachaca. It’s light and pleasant and really balances out the more pungent notes.

Sipped it is a very clean spirit. It isn’t as flavourful as I was expecting from the nose. It has an initial burst of sweetness, mixed with some pepper and a touch of what I can best describe as solvent.

The grassy notes and the fruity notes don’t come across in the sip. There is a slight soapiness in the profile. The mid palate and finish don’t last very long and don’t offer a great deal. The finish gives a bit of smokiness akin to a Mezcal but its a little muted.

Treated solely as a sipper this wouldn’t really stand up with the aged Cachaca’s. As this is marketed and I assume priced as a mixer it would only be fair if I reviewed it that way.

Coke isn’t the best test of a Cachaca so I’m venturing into making a Caiprinha and a simple Ti Punch.

Both work nicely but Tellura Prata isn’t the most punchy of Cachaca’s. It’s light and perhaps a little neutral in flavour. This can obviously work well with mixed drinks but for my preference I would be seeking something that gives some more flavour of its own.

Tellura Prata is pleasant enough as a mixer and does a decent job. However like so many White Rums it is perhaps a little to simple in its delivery. To neutral and doesn’t pack enough punch to really stand out from the crowd.

I also have an aged Tellura to try going forward. I do expect that to be better. This is a nicely balanced well put together spirit but I think it could do with a bit more “oomph”.

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VAT 19 Golden Rum

VAT 19 Golden Rum
Bythefatrumpirate December 11, 2014July 13, 2015

The wonders of the internet and high street phenomenon Black Friday led me to finally putting a bottle of VAT 19 into my shopping basket. UK based online retailer http://www.drinksupermarket.com had 20% off everything on sale. Drink Supermarket tend to stock less higher end products than most online booze merchants. So I was able to pick up a good few entry and lower level rums. They seem to focus on rum’s they can actually sell…….I’ve had a good few rums with a lot of dust on them from other retailers!

My experience of Trinidadian rums (I’ll shorten that to Trini from now on!) begins and ends at present with Angostura 1919. I do however have two Caroni rum’s (a now defunct Trinidad distillery) a 16 and 12 year old which I will shortly by trying. I wouldn’t say I was off put by the 1919 but other than the 1824 I have seen little by way of Trini rum’s that I have taken a fancy for. To be honest there isn’t a great deal of Trini rum available.

Vat 19 is produced by Fernandes Distillery and is imported by H&A Prestige Packing Co Ltd from Chorley (Lancashire). So bearing that in mind it is quite ironic that the rum is labelled as “Liquid Sunshine”. If ever a county needed sunshine instead of rain Lancashire is it!

I was slightly puzzled that the distillery was noted as Fernandes Distillery as I was fairly sure from my research that Angostura bought the distillery back in 1973. The distillery was/is situated next door. There is no mention of Angostura on the bottle. It is also interesting that the importer of this rum is a different one to the 1919 importer (CL World Brands, Glasgow, Scotland). The best conclusion I can come from this is that both Angostura and importers are keeping the brands separate (for the good of both I suspect).

The appearance of the rum suggests this is an entry level mixing rum. In both the Fernandes and Angostura distillery this rum is indeed the cheapest and thus their entry level offering. Its the usual bar style bottle with a slightly bulbous head leading to the standard screw cap. The overall presentation of the rum is so-so. Both the rear and front label do however give some information regarding the rum held within.

As mentioned already VAT 19 is labelled “Liquid Sunshine” and that is the image on the front label. The back gives a bit of detail regarding the rum. Which was first produced in 1919. Coincidence……….well it doesn’t end there to be honest as we’ll see later in the review.

The rear label reveals the story behind the rum’s heritage at the Fernandes Distillery. I quite like rear labels used for these stories (as long as they are actually true). The rum is aged before blending for 3 years. It is bottled at 37.5% (a lot of entry level rum’s are to make them slightly more afforadable). I doubt 2.5% ABV makes much difference at these levels.

VAT 19 is very definitely in the mixing rum territory, in terms of ageing. It’s price (less than £20 for 1 litre) suggests this is a rum to be mixed. It’s own label suggests this is its primary use.

Nosing VAT 19 immediately reminds me of Angostura 1919. Once poured the rum is a straw like colour. It is very light, it’s just about Golden at a push. It has that soft buttery slightly floral note. I find both this and 1919 very difficult to explain. Much like some of the Havana Club range there is a an overall smell which I cannot quite explain. In the case of the VAT 19 the smell is very pleasant. It is very similar to 1919. There is less complexity – oak and a little cocoa seem to be missing but overall you could easily get confused.

So on with the tasting and how does this Liquid Sunshine taste? Well as a sipper you immediately notice the difference between this and 1919. It is after all 5 years younger and exhibits the rough burn of a 3 year old rum. 1919 is ridiculously smooth and is set out as sipping rum. VAT 19 has no illusions of this.

When mixed as suggested on the label the rum really does begin to live up to the tag Liquid Sunshine. It has a sweet vanilla flavour. It isn’t complex. It’s very clean and inoffensive. It mixes nicely with cola or lemonade (or anything else to be honest). Despite it’s easy mixing nature it isn’t a rum which gets completely lost in the mix. That buttery/vanilla, florally taste is still present. It’s smooth and very easy going.

This is an easy drinking, easy going, golden mixing rum. It is nicely made and clearly care has went into making this rum. Angostura 1919 carries the ACR mark and I feel this rum really should as well.

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The Equiano Rum Co. Afro-Caribbean Rum

The Equiano Rum Co Afro-Caribbean Rum
Bythefatrumpirate January 22, 2020

The Equiano Rum Co Afro-Caribbean Rum. I first came across this rum at the Boutique Rumfest in London. For those not familiar with London Rumfest, on a Friday afternoon they open up what they call the Boutique Rumfest.

This Rumfest is open to the trade and journalists, bloggers etc. It allows new brands to showcase and promote their rums to an audience in a less hectic manner than is usually the case on Saturday and Sunday. It’s really an ideal time to make contacts and speak with people who may be able to help smaller brands.

Towards the back of the main room was a rum brand called Equiano. It looked in comparison to a lot of other stalls to be getting not a lot of visitors. Being curious I thought I would go over and see what it was all about. To be honest it all looked a bit too “Premium” for my liking I was half expecting some kind of Central American Sugar Water as I couldn’t tell from a distance that it was an Afro-Caribbean Rum.

I began chatting with the brands owner (his name escapes me, I had his business card somewhere) who explained that Equiano was actually a blend of rum from Gray’s Distillery, Mauritius and Foursquare Rum Distillery, Barbados. It is bottled and blended by Richard Seale and co at Foursquare Rum Distillery.

Without pre-emptying this rum review too much after enjoying a taster I did advise a fellow Rum Enthusiast or 4 what I had just learnt. I then popped away to the toilet and when I came back the Equiano stand was inundated………

The Equiano Rum Co Afro-Caribbean Rum is a blend of molasses based rums from Gray’s Distillery and Foursquare Rum Distillery. Firstly column distilled rum from Gray’s is aged in a combination of French Limousin Oak and ex-Cognac casks for 10 years. It is then shipped to Barbados and blended with Single Blended rum aged in ex-bourbon casks for a minimum of 8 years in Barbados.

I originally thought the name was something do with the Equator or the Equatorial region in general but no it is actually named after Olaudah Equiano who was an African born writer, abolitionist, traveller and one of the earliest freedom fighters in cultural evolution. Through the trading of rum, Olaudah paved his way to liberation and went on to inform the abolition movement. So now you know.

The Equiano Rum Co Afro-Caribbean Rum is currently available online via their own website. It is also available at online retailers, it is slightly cheaper at The Whisky Exchange at £46.95.

It is bottled at 43% ABV and as you can see comes in a very nice, very sleek 3/4 stubby bottle with very little in the way of fairy tales or nonsense. The turquoise “seal” on the neck looks a little out of place but the chunky synthetic cork stopper underneath gives a satisfying pop. It is noted that there are no additives whatsoever in this rum including caramel colouring.

In the glass we have a dark brown spirit with a very red tinge to it. On the nose I am getting a lot of classic Barbados Rum profile. Vanilla, light toffee and some gently oak. With Equiano the oak seems less pronounced though. I am getting more by way of fruity notes such as Raisins and Sultananas. A touch of Banana and some sweeter notes of Strawberry and Cherry. Further nosing reveals more citrus – some marmalade and some ginger.

It’s a very fruity rum it reminds me a little of Doorly’s XO but the rum from Gray’s Distillery is definitely putting its markers on this rum. It’s a really interesting and enjoyable nose.

Sipped it is again pretty fruity with an almost Cognac like sweetness especially on the initial sip. It’s very zesty with lots of lemon and orange peel. There is a really nice balance between the sweet citrus notes and the spicy oak notes, which come to the fore on the mid palate. It’s quite a tangy rum. A little tart at times.

Finish wise it is of a reasonable length but if you have grown accustomed to the higher ABV Exceptional Cask Foursquare releases, you may find it a little “soft”. What is there is very nice and very nicely balanced, with a good length. Sadly for some it might not be a big enough smack in the chops.

Overall, there is a kind of almost red wine “heavy” note to this rum. It pulls it off, due to the sweeter fruitier notes.

It’s a good rum. I’m not all that sure though. that I would splash another £50 on another bottle.

In fact I am pretty sure I wouldn’t. That is probably more to do with what else is currently available though.

I’ve enjoyed this and found it a really nice easy going sipper, but it hasn’t excited me.

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East London Liquor Co. Demerara Rum

East London Liquor Co. Demerara Rum
Bythefatrumpirate July 18, 2016

East London Liquor Co. Ltd (ELLC) is a vodka and gin distillery. Based in London’s East End, Bow Wharf to be exact.

They also import spirits – such as this Demerara rum from Demerara Distillers Limited (DDL). The vodka and gin distillery is complemented by a bar and they also have an online store. Here you can buy both their own range and other spirits.

A 70cl bottle of ELLC’s Demerara rum retails at around the £25 mark. It is bottled at 40% ABV. It is available at a number of online retailers including the Whisky Exchange and Master of Malt.

This Demerara rum is produced on the famous Enmore Wooden Column Still at DDL. The still itself is unique – the only wooden column still in the world. It is capable of producing 9 different marques of rum from to light to heavy and all in between. It is one of the most used stills at DDL and one which has produced several very tasty independent bottlings over the years.

Independent bottlings such as this can be pretty expensive. ELLC ensure me that the rum is not a blend and that it has been aged for 3 years in ex-bourbon casks, prior to be being bottled here in the UK.

The rum is presented in a slightly unusual shaped bottle which reminds me a little of a thinner Prosecco bottle. It has a synthetic stopper of good quality and the presentation is modern and quite sleek. The presentation of the rum also carries over to their other spirits which I quite like. I think a strong and clear brand identity is a good thing. You get some good solid information about the rum on the back label.

Demerara rums are pretty common in the UK with brands such as OVD, Skipper and Woods 100 all popular. We than have popular Navy rums such as Lamb’s and Pusser’s using Demerara rums in their blends.

What most of those rums have is a sweet profile – this seems to appeal to the consumer. So it will be interesting to see if ELLC’s offering treads a similar path.

First up is the nose of the rum. Which is encouraging. The familiar DDL nose is there – juicy raisins, molasses and hints of caramel. Some lighter notes of vanilla and very nice spicy bourbon(ish) oak notes. It is a fragrant nose and I am not getting any alcohol fumes. The rum has a nice colour to it which may be down to ageing but DDL do like adding caramel. Sometimes even prior to ageing!

So far there is nothing to suggest that rum has had anything less than 3 years ageing.

Sipping this rum the bourbon oak really takes over. It is very spicy and particularly on finish it is pretty fiery. The fruit is present initially but quickly fades into the spicy middle and finish. Once you get used to the slight alcohol burn you have an okay sipper but it lacks the complexity which was promised by the nose. It is slightly short and sharp.

At this price point ELLC’s rum is really more of a “premium” mixer. The bottle is bar friendly and certainly very much on trend.

I drink as much rum and cola as I do sipping rum. This is a style of Demerara rum which works with the cola (or ginger beer) rather than dominate. When mixed with cola you get a very nice oak aged and molasses profile with a little sweeter raisin and even some slightly bitter dark chocolate or cocoa.

It is certainly a lot better than El Dorado’s 3 year old white rum or even their 5 year old. In addition to this I would choose a bottle of this over Skipper or OVD.

This is a lighter style of unsweetened Demerara. It could perhaps show those who enjoy sipping Velier Demerara rums that they could opt for a change of pace. Maybe try an ELLC Demerara rum and cola? I doubt they will but I’m certainly pleased I picked up a bottle of this as it is rather good and perhaps better than you might think.

It has a very rummy authenticity and if they can perhaps age it a little longer they might well be on to something very good. Price wise it is certainly worth a punt for anyone seeking something different in a Demerara at this price point.

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El Dorado Rare Collection Port Mourant 1999

El Dorado Rare Collection Port Mourant 1999
Bythefatrumpirate October 10, 2016

A 15 Year Old Port Mourant Rum from El Dorado released as part as their Rare Collection. The three rums in the Rare Collection were released simultaneously earlier this year.

It has been noted that the rums ages mirror three of El Dorado’s “Premium” rums. 12, 15 and 21 years old. I’m not sure whether it is entirely deliberate, nor am I totally sure if the stills used reflect the dominant rums used in each of El Dorado’s regular expressions. A spreadsheet of rums used in El Dorado rums was published a while back but has since been questioned. To be honest all are blends anyway so its academic really.

For those unsure if you have tried a Port Mourant rum before – it’s quite likely you have even if it hasn’t been immediately obvious. Pusser’s 15 Year Old and Plantation’s Guyana 2005 are both from the Port Mourant Still. Admittedly unlike this offering both are sweetened rums.

The presentation of the Rare Collection bottlings are all the same. Taking influence from both the Velier bottlings (Opaque bottle) they succeed and the El Dorado range (Stubby bottle) with a colour scheme which suggests Premium rum – attractive gold lettering on black and brown. At around £150 per 70cl bottle, the presentation should be spot on and indeed it is. A nice cork stopper tops of the presentation along with a nice embossed ship on the neck of the bottle.

This rum was distilled in 1999 and bottled in 2014. Coming in at 61.4% ABV, on the bottle and when tested with the Hydrometer, this rum is pretty much Cask Strength.

I’ve reviewed a few Port Mourant rums in the past. This rum is the first which will have benefited from full Tropical Ageing in Guyana.

These rums represent the first attempt by DDL since their Single Barrel rums to release a more “serious” rum without additives. They are also the first rums in this “style” not to be sold by Velier. It is worth noting at this stage that Luca Gargano does have a stake in DDL.

Whilst the thought of no more Velier Demerara is sad, there is no reason at all why DDL cannot produce the same rums under a new guise.

For anyone approaching these rums from past experience of El Dorado rums only – you will get a huge surprise with this particular rum. If you haven’t tried a Port Mourant on its “own” you will get a shock.

The nose is big – as to be expected from a spirit coming in at 61% ABV. It’s reminiscent of the Bristol Port Mo(u)rant rums. The dominating note of those the almost vegetal grassy/briny earthy note is paired alongside aniseed and liquorice. However it is more a bitter liquorice note than a sugared one. It is not the more familiar sweet molasses and raisin Demerara note.

This rum is quite different. It also should be noted that the rum is pretty dark in the glass. It may be the tropical ageing it may not be. It’s certainly noticeably darker even than the Pusser’s 15 Year Old.

As you nose deeper you do detect some more fruity notes – raisins and a little plum. There is also a more subtle note of leather and oak. It’s not the “nicest” friendliest nose I’ve ever encountered but it does have a good amount of complexity to appreciate.

Sipped at full strength you get a very intense, almost overbearing initial tasting. It’s quite bitter and almost astringent. It’s very sharp with some red wine like notes. The aniseed is prominent and again its mixed with a kind of salty/briny note which is not top of my list of things I enjoy in rum.

A little water helps with the intensity but whilst it tones down the bitterness it doesn’t give you a great deal else. The rum doesn’t really develop the way I had hoped.

It’s a big flavourful rum with a lot of “menace” which I usually like. Unfortunately it just doesn’t have any redeeming sweetness which would give it more balance. It’s a rum which for me would be great in a blend. On its own? Not so good.

I got a lot more out of the Bristol Port Mo(u)rants I have reviewed previously. I also got more enjoyment from the Plantation Guyana 2005.

There isn’t a question mark about this being a well made rum it’s certainly a “good” rum. It’s just not to my tastes. From scouring the internet for other reviews (from people I actually take note of) they seem to have found this also to be slightly disappointing.

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Velho Alambique Cabreuva

Velho Alambique Cabreuva
Bythefatrumpirate August 4, 2019August 4, 2019

Velho Alambique Cabreuva. We have covered Velho Alambique’s cachaça previously on the site. I reviewed the brands Ouro cachaça which was aged in a blend of native Brasilian woods and American oak. For more information the review is here.

This particular cachaça is noted as being in Cabreuva. Which is the name of a tree which is commonly found in Central and South America. The Cabrueva tree has also given its name to a city in Brasil.

Velho Alambique cachaça hails from Santa Tereza in in Rio Grande do Sol. Their cachaça have the Producto do Organico designation, which means they are produced in an organic manner without the use of pesticides etc.

Velho Alambique is a traditional style distillery so the cachaça is produced in small batches on pot stills. This cachaça has been bottled at 40% ABV. For more information you can try their website but it didn’t have this cachaça listed.

The design for this is different to the other Velho Alambique cachacas. My sample bottle is actually in the style of bottle used by the Ouro but online I cannot find such an image. My sample is only a miniature and the “Cabreuva” part has been stuck on with an extra sticker. So it may be the full size 700ml bottles have never been produced in the old style. In Brasil a bottle of Velho Alambique Cabreuva will set you back around R$ 54 – which is around £11.50 in sterling. Were this to arrive in the UK I wouldn’t expect to pay any less than £30 for a bottle.

Presentation wise this cachaça looks more modern and stylish than the more traditional bottles used by the Ouro. The design in particular is a big update and could easily be seen on European shelves. They just need to work on those screw caps now……..

As is often the case with these cachaça reviews I am a little hampered by the language barrier so we may as well just move along and see how this cachaça tastes.

In the glass we have a medium dark brown spirit with a yellow tinge. The nose is quite strong. I am unsure how long this was aged (I’m guessing around 2-3 years) but this seems to have had a real integration with the Cabreuva. From what I understand Cabreuva is a very hard wood so I am a little surprised how much wood and spice is on the nose.

NB I have been given some further information the cachaça is aged for 1 year in Cabreuva. It is aged in small 700 litre barrels so there is more interaction with the wood. All of the cachaça in Velho Alambique Cabreuva is aged for 1 year. It is not “cut” with unaged cachaça as happens quite frequently in the cachaça world. This is a topic I am seeking to learn more about and understand better.

Not that I am complaining as it is very impressive. Nice notes of ginger and pencil shavings mingle alongside some sweet/sour almost oak like spice. This is complimented by a nice buttery note – baking spices, shortbread and some notes of white wine. Slightly acidic but it all balances very nicely.

Further nosing reveals a richness to the spices – a touch of milk chocolate and some sweet cloves.

Sipped this is quite a smoky cachaça. Especially on the initial sip and entry. There is a great burst of spices which is accompanied by some smoky almost sooty like notes. These notes are followed by some sweet fruits – peach and some white grapes, which build into a very satisfying and spicy mid palate. White pepper and ginger mingle alongside some woody notes, which have a touch of bitterness but nothing which affects the overall balance of the spirit.

This is a cachaça which has a lot of familiar notes but it also has a slightly savoury almost meaty note to it especially towards the finish. Also the more I sip the more I notice an almost herbal note – which again just adds more complexity to this cachaça. There is a slightly soapy note as well but it all just integrates so well.

Velho Alambique Cabreuva is a very interesting cachaça to try. I’ll be curious to try some more cachaça aged in this type of wood. This particular spirit is very good. A really nicely balanced spirit. The finish is long and satisfying without ever becoming to much. It fades nicely and you find yourself taking a little time between each sip to enjoy the complexity of the finish.

At the price (in Brasil at least) it would make an excellent “premium” mixer. To be perfectly honest, I’ve enjoyed this one neat I never got around to mixing it

No need.

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