Blind Tasting, Aged Cachaças

As longtime readers know, things get slow around here in the springtime as my attention goes to helping out with the Flourish! Conference. This has been the longest time between drinks, I realize. 

Thing is, I'm now almost literally drowning in cachaça-related content. I'd rather keep the quality up than hit you with low-value news more frequently. Just comes down to finding/making time for posting.

Shortly after the new year, I held a blind tasting here at the Gomecile. I was fortunate in that, in addition to enjoying good cachaça with friends, one of them happens to be a professional sommelier: Michael "Windy City Wine Guy" Bottigliero. 

"It's about time someone who knows what he's doing helps Phil out!" I hear you say. Fair 'nuff. Our collective palate was also helped by Mananya Soobhawan of Mananya Cooks.

Keep in mind that I would never serve bad cachaça. This tasting was about sampling some of the best of the best.

There were three cachaças offered to our panel:

• A: Marketed in the U.S. under a different brand name
• B: Organic
• C: Not available in the U.S. yet

 The jury's opinion, in the above order:

• A: Sweet brown sugar and clove. Smooth with a kick at the end. 
• B: Goes down easiest. Honey aroma. Citrus notes.
• C: Slightly sweet aroma. Strong with lots of "heat." Noticeable astringency. 

Find out the jury's choice after the jump.

First Place went to Cachaça B, Novo Fogo Gold. Cachaça A, Copa (neé Magnífica), took second place. Velho Ferreira (a discovery from my most recent Brazil trip) took third. 

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with any of them. Novo Fogo really has something special going on. Copa deserves some kind of holy indulgence for bringing Magnífica to our shores. Velho Ferreira impresses with their dual-barrel aging and uniquely bred strains of sugar cane. 

In any event, a good time was had by all, which is mostly the point.

Comments

[Luís Cláudio]

No doubt the Cachaça Velho Ferreira is the best of three. Why not be the best known in the U.S. should have stayed in third place. No doubt my choice is the Old Ferreira.

Thanks