Sapucaia Florida Ouro. Cachaca Sapucaia was first produced in Pindamonhangaba, Sao Paolo in the Paraiba Valley in 1933. They have 5 cachacas currently in their range. This Sapucaia Florida Ouro is their youngest cachaça. The name is taken from the Sapucaia farm, on which the cachaça is produced.

However as Cachaca Envelhecida is noted on the bottle we know (if we translate from Portuguese) that this is still an aged cachaça. Sapucaia Florida Ouro is aged for a minimum of 2 years, as is the silver/white equivalent the Sapucaia Florida Cristal. Next in the range we get the 5-year-old Traditional, followed by the Family Reserve aged 10 years and the Royal aged for 18 years.

Currently Sapucaia export to the US, South Africa and Europe. When originally set up back in 1933 the entrepreneur behind the brand Cicera da Silva Prado, intended on selling predominantly to the export rather than the domestic market. Cachaca Sapucaia was one of the first Cachaca’s to be exported outside of Brasil.

Sapucaia also produce “own brand products” they are the producers of Hugo Tolomei’s Bartolomeu cachaça, which is exported to the European market. They also trade in “bulk cachaça” as well. Should you seek further information they have a very informative website once you translate it.

In 2008 production was moved to Pirrassununga. Sapuciaia Cachaca is produced on one of the direct fire 800 litre capacity Pot Stills. The Cachaca is aged in oak casks. They produce around 300,000 litres of Cachaca per annum.

Sapucaia Florida Ouro is aged for 2 years in Oak. A 700ml bottle will set you back around $R40-45. Which is approximately £8-9. I wouldn’t expect to see this for seal in the UK for less than £25 should it find a stockist. Sapucaia Florida Ouro is bottled at 40.5% ABV.

Now from what I can gather Sapucaia Cachaca is quite well-regarded – they have won numerous awards and I was encouraged to try the Cristal, when I attended the Cachaca Festival. Please note not all the Cachaca there had actual brand ambassadors present – so this was recommended by Cachaca lovers rather than people trying to make a living.

So without further ado lets see how our latest excursion into White/Silver/Cristal Cachaca goes……

In the glass Sapucaia Florida Ouro is a straw to white wine like colour, only slightly coloured by the wood/ageing.

The nose is creamy and buttery. Slight notes of apple juice run alongside this giving a very slight acidity to the spirit. Further nosing reveals notes of ginger, a slight Olive Oil like note and some soapy aromas. It’s quite a familiar nose for a relatively young Cachaca. It does however seem to have a bit more balance than other such young cachacas.

Sipped this is quite a fiery drink. The slightly higher 40.5% ABV may be one of the reasons but it is pretty spicy. There is a quite woody initial note to it that moves quickly into a very zesty and spicy mid palate.

Further sips see the spiciness calm down a little. You then get more of the creamy and soapy notes that were apparent on the nose. A bit more balance the more you sip. It has a quite a flowery note to it, bit of rosewater perhaps in the mix.

Finish wise Sapucaia Florida Ouro seems initially very short. It seems to burst with flavour on the sip and mid palate and then fade very quickly. You are however left with a hint of vanilla and lavender. It’s very subtle.

Sapucaia Florida Ouro has a really nice balance to it and its very easy to sip. The gentle ageing gives the cachaça more depth, than an unaged white cachaça. It works really well in a Caiprinha – the extra dimension compared to an unaged cachaça is an added bonus. If I was in Brasil, I think this would be a cachaça I would turn to quite often for the price. Very reasonable for what you get.