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.

Abelha Gold is aged in Garapeira wood, from South of Brazil. Tell us more about this native wood and its use in Brazil. Livia Rezende is a tutor in History of Design at the Royal College of Art. She received her PhD in History of Design from the V&A/RCA in 2010, and holds an MA in Design from the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio (2003) and a BA (Hons) in Graphic Design from the Escola Superior de Desenho Industrial (ESDI) of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (1997). 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. Now that we’ve had our Cachaça 101 course, what about this Abelha Organic Cachaça? It’s a gold cachaça, a lovely straw/gold colour, from having been aged in Brazilian ash barrels for three years. It’s produced in the state of Bahia with the sugarcane being sourced from several small, local, organic farmers. It’s distilled in small batches in pot stills.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 a readily available cachaca here in the UK it is certainly something worth trying. It’s not as harsh as some of the younger “Industrial” cachacas that are available from the likes of Ypioca and Velho Barreiro. It’s also a lot better than BemBom. Which is best avoided. Ananda Nahu was born in Juazeiro, in Bahia, Brazil, in 1985. She moved to Salvador in 2001, in 2003 she attended The College of Design and in 2004 attended the Fine Arts School at the Federal University of Bahia. During this period, she became interested in studying photography, Fine Arts Paintings and engravings, inspired by studies and research of lithography, Serigraphs, metal engraving, and consequently a deeper study of posters, the main references for engraving techniques.

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?Cachaca became an instant hit with sailors, slaves, natives and the lower classes, and for centuries it was only produced as such, since the Brazilian elite saw it as a ‘poor man’s drink’. It was cheap and easy to produce, whereas wine and other spirits had to be imported from Europe. Artisanal cachaça uses a natural fermentation with local yeasts whilst in contrast many industrial stills will speed up fermentation by adding various chemicals. As a mixer Abelha Organic Silver Cachaca does a decent job in a Caiprinha or a Ti Punch. As with most cachaca it works best with lighter mixers. Rather than things like cola and ginger beer.

Most of the history of cachaca is shrouded in mystery with alleged stories and unverified facts. Here are some of these stories and facts that we find most intriguing and which we will be exploring further over the next weeks and months!By 1660, cachaça had become so popular that its consumption surpassed that of Portuguese bagaceira, a kind of distilled wine. Upset by the fact that the colonies preferred cachaça, Portugal responded by imposing a heavy tax on Brazilian distilleries, who promptly revolted in an event now known as ‘The Cachaça Rebellion’. Abelha Cachaça is produced high up on infertile sandy soils surrounding Rio de Contas on the southern edge of the Chapada Diamantina. It is not as hot as sugar-cane producing regions of south Brazil but the temperature differential between night and day is greater. Both the soil conditions and this temperature differential contribute to the flavour and quality of the sugar cane that is used to produce cachaça in this region. 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.

The sugar cane is grown on sandy highland soils where the high temperature differential between day and night, the fertile soil, and crystal-clear spring water enable high quality sugarcane to grow. The sugarcane fields are cut in sequence by hand according to sugar content readiness and ripeness because, once cut, the sugarcane must be juiced for fermentation within 24 hours.

Awards for Abelha Silver

We have really good news for Abelha Cachaça lovers all over: due to many requests to extend the deadline date of our arts competition, we’ve decided to give creatives minds some extra time to send their design to us: deadline is now 21st March 2016 and we can’t wait to see all you’ve come up to! 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. 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. 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.