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”.