Cachaça

What is Cachaça:

Cachaça is a "rum-style" spirit from Brazil, where, simply put, the distillation and fermentation process uses sugar cane juice directly, instead of the byproduct molasses, which is typically used in rum production. Additionally, the production process for cachaça can be somewhat different from certain rum products, as further described below. Cachaça is Brazil's absolute most popular alcoholic beverage, and in fact, only about 1% of the total production of approximately 1.5 billion liters (!) is exported. In Brazil, Cachaça is often enjoyed neat, while in the rest of the world, cachaça is primarily used in cocktails - mainly the well-known Caipirinha.

Cachaça history and production:

Brazil is the world's largest sugar cane nation, and in fact, Brazil accounts for no less than 40% of the total sugar cane production. Therefore, it is only natural that Brazil began developing a sugar cane-based spirit, just as rum has been developed in many other places. As an original Portuguese colony, "aguardente de cana" began to be produced in the 17th century using pot still distillation equipment from Madeira. The difference between cachaça and rum is subtle, and therefore cachaça is sometimes referred to as "Brazilian rum" by some. A couple of the most important characteristics of cachaça are that fresh-pressed sugar cane juice is used, and that pot stills are typically employed, and moreover, the distillate is collected at a very low ABV, which results in the finished cachaça having a relatively strong aroma and taste. Cachaça is typically bottled at an ABV of 38-48%, and up to 6 grams of sugar per liter may be added to round off the taste a little. Cachaça is available in both unaged versions (branca or prata) and aged versions (ouro), but it is definitely the unaged / white / light cachaça that is consumed the most.