Published on September 12th, 2024.
Cachaça 101: The Ultimate Guide to Brazil’s Iconic Spirit
An exploration into the national spirit of Brazil
Cachaça (pronounced cah-sha-sa) is a distinctive sugarcane spirit with a grassy and flavourful profile, exclusively produced in Brazil. Despite its close relation to rum, a spirit well-known and widely enjoyed in various forms, cachaça remains relatively unfamiliar to many spirits enthusiasts.
We believe it’s time to shine a light on this wonderful spirit, just in time for National Cachaça Day on 13th September.
History of Cachaça
Although the quality of cachaça has steadily improved over the years, its reputation has faced challenges. Until 2013, cachaça was often referred to as ‘Brazilian rum,’ which led to consumer confusion and hindered the spirit from establishing its own identity. However, cachaça has been gaining deserved recognition globally since then, thanks to a thriving community of over 3,000 distillers across Brazil.
Most cachaça on the market has a small amount of sugar added after distillation to achieve a sweeter profile, typically less than 6 grams per litre. Cachaça with higher sugar content is labelled as adoçada.
How Cachaça is made
Similar to its relative rhum agricole, cachaça is exclusively produced from sugarcane juice—the liquid extracted from freshly crushed sugarcane. This spirit must be made using sugarcane grown in Brazil, and although there are no specific regulations regarding the type of still used, the distillation process must effectively preserve the unique flavour of the sugarcane. Traditionally, cachaça is distilled to a lower alcoholic strength compared to rum.
Most cachaça available is unaged (referred to as branca or white), but it can also be aged in casks. Oak is the most commonly used wood, though local hardwoods such as Amendoim bravo and peanut are also employed. Some cachaças are sweetened with added sugar and may be darkened with caramel colouring before bottling.
Cachaça vs Rum
While both cachaça and rum are derived from sugar, they differ significantly in their production and flavour profiles. Cachaça is crafted from fresh sugarcane juice, whereas rum is typically made from molasses, a by-product of sugar refining.
This difference in base ingredients results in distinct flavour profiles: cachaça offers a grassy, earthy quality, while rum tends to be sweeter. Additionally, cachaça can be aged in up to 30 different types of wood, contributing to its varied flavour nuances, whereas rum is usually aged in former bourbon barrels made from American oak. Unlike rum, which often requires a minimum aging period of one year, cachaça can also be released without any barrel aging.
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