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.