Claudionor Arguardente de Cana. Not all Aguardiente de Cana is classed as Cachaca. However all Cachaca is Aguardente de Cana. Confused? Welcome to the world of sugar cane spirits.

Although Claudionor is noted as being Aguardente de Cana it can still call itself a Cachaca. The reason is pretty simple. Cachaca to be legally noted as such must only be bottled at between 38% and 48% ABV. So Claudionor just sneaks in as Cachaca. Not that worries me, as we will be branching into a few Aguardente de Cana’s and even some Mexican Charanda (Mexican rum if you like) going forward.

Claudionor is produced in Januaria, Mins Gerais. It is named after its founder Claudionor Carneiro. It was originally available back in the 1920’s when Cachaca was sold in flagons and barrels to merchants and sailors who navigated the Sao Francisco river. Soone Claudionor’s Januaria Cachaca.

Three generations on Claudionor Aguardente is still in great demand and it is partly due to its high proof and strong flavours. It is produced organically in time honoured fashion and is aged in Amburana wood casks. Some of which are up to 100 years old.

Presentation wise this is similar to a few other Cachaca’s. The Red, Yellow and Blue colour scheme reminds me of other Latin American countries but it is quite striking. Though I do think the western market may find it a bit old fashioned and a touch on the gaudy side. The metal screw cap has Cachaca de Minas stamped on the top and the neck of the bottle notes Cachacas do Brasil. The bottle size is unusual from a Western point of view as well being 670ml. The bottling I am reviewing was produced very recently on the 19 February 2018. I know this has been produced on a Pot Still and it has been aged for 1 year.

In the glass Claudionor is the colour of white wine. On off white colour. This suggest maybe not a lot of ageing but the native Brasillian woods often do not colour the spirit too much and the use of colouring is not common in Cachaca production – unlike rum.

Nosed it is quite fiery. The extra ABV certainly makes a difference. It has a nice sweetness from the sugar cane alongside some nice notes of vanilla, ginger and a sprig of mint. It’s quite a woody cachaça and I like the overall spiciness of the nose.

Sipped Claudionor is a very clean tasting Cachaca. It has a lovely flavour from the native wood which is creamy and sweet with just enough spiciness to add the required layer of complexity. It is a sweet yet quite powerful spirit. This is quite different to some of the other Cachaca’s I have been trying. It’s spicy and woody but it never feels over oaked. The freshness of the sweet sugar cane and the vanilla notes balance the wonderful complexity of the spices from the wood.

It is very easy to sip – you certainly do not feel it is a near 50% spirit. The finish is spicy and refreshing at the same time. The spices from the wood are complex but never over bearing giving a really nice finish to the sip. It’s a long finish with a lot of flavour. Sweet and spicy with a little hint of wallpaper paste.

Really good stuff