Abelha Organic Cachaca Silver, 70 cl

Product Information

Abelha is a Brazilian cachaca that got its start in 2009, but which is only just now making its way into U.S. distribution. (It’s currently available in a handful of states in the northeast but has national availability online.) The organic, pot-distilled cachaca is available in two expressions, a standard silver and an ouro which is aged for three years in 65-gallon garapeira casks, made from Brazilian ash wood. The second ‘c’ in cachaça has a cedilla accent under it, which softens the sound, so the word is pronounced ‘ka-sha-sah’. How is Cachaça Produced?

There are a few brands which are available in Europe but they are often brands that are not available in Brasil. In recent years we have seen achaca available from the likes of Avua, Yaguara and Novo Fogo. Products geared up for a European and US audience. By geared up I mean they are put in sleek elegant bottles. Given a more “Premium” appearance than some of the cachaca you will find in Brasil. I’m sure you will have noticed just how rustic some of the cachaca I have reviewed over the past couple of years is, in terms of appearance. Ananda is one of the emerging names in Brazilian street art worldwide. She was named by CNN Style as one of the top upcoming Brazilian female urban artists to watch and one of 6 amazing artists redefining Brazil’s art and design. Once fermentation comes to an end (all sucrose turned into alcohol), this produces the cachaça wine, or vinho. We transfer this to the alambiques, or copper pot stills, in the next room in the distillery. These stills have a capacity of 400 Litres. About 10% of the distillate known as the heart, or curaçao, is used to produce the final Cachaça, so about 40litres per distillation. The remainder, known as the heads and tails, is recycled as are all by-products in production.

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Abelha Prata, the silver expression, is a full-flavored artisanal cachaça, with an intense, fruity, aromatic nose, fresh sugar cane and stone fruits on the palate, and a smooth dry finish. To create the distinctive character of Abelha Prata, the cachaça is rested for 6 months in open steel tanks, allowing the by-products to evaporate and oxidize, which gives the cachaça its signature bouquet. No sugar is added, and there are no impurities or toxins in the cachaça, resulting in fresh aromas when you open a bottle and pure flavors when you take a sip. Abelha has no added sugar or additives of any kind. The cachaça is organically certified in both the growing of the sugar cane and the distillation process at international standards. Only natural fertilizer is used, with no pesticides. Abelha Gold is aged in Garapeira wood, from South of Brazil. Tell us more about this native wood and its use in Brazil. Like rum, cachaça comes in two varieties; unaged (white) and aged (gold). White cachaça is usually bottled immediately after distillation and tends to be cheaper (some producers age it for up to 12 months in wooden barrels to achieve a smoother blend). It is often used to prepare caipirinha and other beverages in which cachaça is an ingredient. Dark cachaça, usually seen as the "premium" variety, is aged in wood barrels and is meant to be drunk straight (it is usually aged for up to 3 years though some "ultra premium" cachaças have been aged for up to 15 years). Its flavour is influenced by the type of wood the barrel is made from.

No longer just the ‘poor man’s drink’, nowadays cachaça has become an integral part of Brazilian culture, as synonymous with the country as bossa nova, carnival, or football. It is produced and enjoyed all over Brazil and is enjoying an exciting renaissance; trendy cachaçarias have sprung up in Brazil’s major cities and, more recently, in many cities of around the world. Long may it continue! Cachaca, Brazil’s most popular drink, is woven into the history of the nation, having bolstered the colonial economy and provoked the first rebellion against the Portuguese. And a lthough cachaca was first made before rum, it was only early this century when it gained international (excluding the USA) legal status and declared officially as Brazilian.Cachaça is Brazil’s national spirit, and although it is one of the most-consumed spirits in the world (there are about 40,000 distilleries producing it in Brazil), it’s much less well-known internationally. Abelha Cachaça Silver is a premium hand-crafted white cachaça with an intense fruity/vegetal nose, fresh sugar cane and stone fruits taste with a smooth, dry finish. Abelha Ouro, the gold expression, is a complex yet approachable aged cachaça. The honeyed nose is brightened with notes of tropical fruit, and the palate is rich with stone fruit, balsamic and spice notes. This remarkable flavor profile is achieved by aging the cachaça for three years in 65-gallon Garapeira casks; a native Brazilian ash, Garapeira is highly valued by cachaça producers because it enhances the natural flavor of the spirit with a multifaceted layer of sweetness and spice.

As with many spiritual ideologies, we have a five-point plan for turning sugar-cane in cachaca; these are planting and growing, cutting and pressing, fermentation, distillation and then resting or ageing.Abelha Organic Cachaça is made with cane, care, and craft. The brand is committed to the highest standard of production at every step of the process. She is also a practicing graphic and editorial designer and has worked for several studios and magazines in Rio and London. Plus, we can now confirm a bit more about our judging panel, which will choose the label that will make our bottles all pretty for the Summer. The panel will be formed of 3 people from the Arts & Design Industry and 3 other from the Beverage Industry. We’ll reveal today the names of the artsy people responsible for selecting THE ONE that will make it to the bottles. Next week, we’ll announce the Beverage Industry judging panel.