On Thursday, September 4, my wife and I held Cachaçagora's first blind tasting here at the Gomecile.
Here were the contenders:
- Cuca Fresca Pura Gold
- Leblon Cachaça
- Barril 39
- Velho Pescador
All of these are aged in oak barrels, anywhere between six months and five years. Two — Leblon and Cuca Fresca — are available in the United States. The other two were retrieved during visits to Brazil and, near as I can tell, are either not widely available in the U.S. or not available at all.
Our judges, clockwise from upper-left, were Frederico Setti, Eric Tatro, Leandro Ribeiro, and Bleu Caldwell.
Each cachaça was poured prior to the guests arriving. Our tasters were encouraged to look for smoothness and depth-of-flavor, rating each cachaça on that basis according to whether it was their first, second, third, or fourth choice. I then averaged the scores (like golf, achieving a lower number is best) and unveiled the rankings at the end.
As Fred was sure to mention, no cachaça was clearly "bad". He, in particular, struggled to find a number-one choice. That said, all tastings demand a ranking of some type.
Find the results after the jump.
The top-ranked cachaça, by far, in our tasting was Barril 39 — three out of our four tasters listed it as their first choice. Adjectives like "smooth", "mellow", and "a slight coconut aftertaste" were used to describe this gift from my mother-in-law. (Obrigado, mamãe.)
Coming in second place, we have my São Paulo breakfast-counter-slash-liquor-store find, Velho Pascador. Our judges indicated it was "complex", "lighter", "just a little sweet", and "spicy with fruity notes".
Cuca Fresca Pura Gold was the unanimous third choice. The panel generally liked it, though one found it "sharp" and maybe a little sour.
Rounding out the group was Leblon cachaça, which I recently reviewed. The panel seemed to enjoy it — it was the first glass that one of our judges completely emptied — though two panelists felt that it had a "sharp" and "lingering" aftertaste. (As you can tell by the amount of product left in the bottle, this one has been in the "Tasting Lab" a little while.)
In closing, I can't help but wonder. If our panel is any indication, you're essentially out of luck if you prefer to sip your cachaça — their top two picks aren't yet exported to the United States.
Nevertheless, I plan on doing these tastings quarterly... and I already have a couple contenders lined up!
Many thanks to the panel!
How did your distinguished panel react to the glassware choice? I would think that the tasting should be performed while using something akin to a brandy snifter so that the liquor can breath and the nose can be fully experienced. Also, I'm surprised that the panelists were nary to comment on the distinct color characteristics of each. Perhaps next time you could consider some food pairings as well.
Posted by: Wiley | September 08, 2008 at 04:14 PM
Actually, the glassware is parallel with the usual experience of cachaça tasted neat -- often sipped from a shot-sized glass or a narrower, slightly taller glass called a "martelinho" ("Little hammer.")
"Food pairings" is a good idea. Perhaps a contest between dessert chefs to complement a particular cachaça?
Posted by: Phil | September 09, 2008 at 09:30 AM
Phil,
I wish more people would do blind tastings; they are very fun, and a delight to read about too.
Keep it up!
Posted by: Rick | September 12, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Hey, Rick... Thanks for stopping by. I plan on doing these quarterly. Next one will probably be a collection of white cachaças.
Posted by: Phil | September 13, 2008 at 01:09 PM
The more i read your blog, the more interesting it gets.I haven`t yet been able to try so many cachacas as there aren`t many sold here.I haven`t yet tasted any that i would like to sip but i have enjoyed mixing.
Posted by: Tiare | December 05, 2008 at 02:05 PM
Tiare!
Thanks for the kind note! Trust me... Good cachaças are on the way to pretty much anywhere. Part of it is asking your restaurant and bartender for it! Keep reading... I'll be reviewing more cachaças when I get back to the states.
Posted by: Phil | December 07, 2008 at 10:16 AM
hey there phil, im cousin of barril 39's producer, i just wanted to say that im honored to have our family's cachaça in 1st place and proud of my cousin's achievement. if you want to visit the farm in valença, rio de janeiro state, you're more than welcome there!
Posted by: Felipe Bezerra | April 12, 2009 at 01:32 PM
What's up Phil!?
I am Sergio, the producer of Cachaça Barril 39. As my cousin said above, I'm very honored of being part of your Blind Tasting.
I would be very happy if you come visit my Farm next time you come to Brazil.
Posted by: Sergio | April 12, 2009 at 08:47 PM
Sergio, Felipe,
Wow, guys! Thanks for stopping by! I'm glad you found me!
Yes, indeed. Barril 39 was the clear favorite. It was a gift from my sogros, who live in Rio.
I'll definitely let you guys know when I next go to Brazil!
Tchau!
Posted by: Phil | April 12, 2009 at 09:03 PM