Weber Haus 7 Madeiras Premium Cachaca Blend. When we think of Madeira we probably think of the Portuguese island or even the fortified wine which hails from said island. However Madeira when translated from Portuguese (which is the official language in Brasil) to English it simply means wood.

So this cachaca is a blend of aged cachacas which have been aged in 7 different woods. Which is quite an interesting concept. I cannot recall trying a rum or cachaca or any other spirit for that matter which has as many different types of ageing in its blend.

You may also wonder about the name of this cachaca producer Weber Haus. Which to anyone who has studied even rudimentary German in school will recognise the second word as being the German word for house. The name Weber may also come across as a fairly familiar German sounding name.

The Weber family arrived in Brasil from Germany in 1824 is the simple explanation for this. Initially they settled in the forests on the slopes of the Sierra Gaucha, in a place now more popularly known as Ivoti. They initially produced Schnapps by planting potatoes.

In 1848 they began planting Sugar Cane and in turn began producing cachaca on a very small scale for the family and friends only. It wasn’t a commercial exercise.

Indeed it wasn’t until a century later in 1948 that the H. Weber Distillery became active.It initially consisted of a Sugar Mill which was powered by 4 mules. Over time however the distillery was modernised and has been passed down the generations.

In 2001 the Weber Haus brand was born. By 2004 they had begun selling outside of their regional market (Ivoti, Dois Irmãos and Novo Hamburgo). In 2006 they exported to North America.

Since then the company has expanded is one of the most recognised cachaca brands outside of Brasil with availability in 17 US states and a presence in most of mainland Europe and the UK. The distillery produces around 250,000 litres of cachaca per year. Should you seek more information on the brand/distillery they have their own website, which also included a blog.

Weber Haus 7 Madeiras Premium Cachaca Blend utilises all 7 varieties of wood that Weber Haus use to age their numerous cachacas. So we have a blend of cachaca aged in the following woods

Amburana, Canela Sassafras, Balsamo, Grapia, American Oak, French Oak, Cabriuva.

It is available in a tall modern looking and well branded 750ml bottle. It retails at around R$90 (which is approximately £/€13). Distribution in the UK is a bit hitty miss in the UK. I am not sure if this is currently available in the UK but you can buy other Weber Haus Cachaca over at Master of Malt. I have previously reviewed only one cachaca from Weber Haus.

Weber Haus 7 Madeiras Premium Cachaca Blend is produced from fresh sugar cane juice and is distilled on Copper Pot Stills. The cachacas in this blend have been aged for around 2 years. It is bottled at 38% ABV.

In the glass the cachaca is quite light. Some of the woods used in this blend do not impart much colour to a spirit when ageing. It is a white wine colour.

The nose is quite sweet, with a soapy aroma and someslightly acidic white wine like notes. I’m getting touches of cinnamon and nutmeg on the nose. It’s not a huge nose at just 38% ABV. It has a slightly perfumed quality to it as well. Notes of sweet crystalised ginger. It’s all very pleasant and approachable.

Sipped Weber Haus 7 Madeiras Premium Cachaca Blend is quite easy going. It’s very easy to sip on. There is a sweet spicy note which has a touch of acidity to it. Again a bit like a white wine. It’s sweet but quite dry at the same time.

I can’t really pick out any particular woods that have been used in this cachaca. They have all kind of merged together. It’s quite oaky and spicy with a fair amount of vanilla and spice on the mid palate.

It is perhaps just a bit too woody – which overwhelms some of the other notes that I was getting from the nose. The entry is quite sweet but dries out quite quickly leading to a reasonably spicy mid palate with a fair amount of woodiness. It’s a little muted for me at a higher ABV this could be a lot better. I do fear though that the woody notes might become even more prominent and drying.

I’ts not hugely complex for me and the finish is a little short and a bit too easy going. It’s by no means a bad cachaca but I was expecting something a bit more interesting from a 7 wood blend. The oak elements seem to have taken over a bit too much.

That said I wouldn’t turn down a glass of this if it were offered. It’s a solid cachaca rather than a great one.