Velho Barreiro Gold Cachaça

The golden standard of Cachaça.

Cachaça (pronounced ka-SHA-sa) is usually referred to simply as "Brazilian Rum", but it's in fact a lot more than that. First, Rum is made from by-products of sugar (usually molasses), while Cachaça comes from fresh sugarcane juice. It's like Rum had an elite upbringing. Now, Brazilians make more than a billion liters of Cachaça every year, but they only export a fragment - Cachaça is extremely popular with Brazucas. The producer of Velho Barriero is IRB, founded in 1950 in Piracicaba near São Paulo. It's one of the main exporters of Cachaça and we're pretty lucky Velho Barriero is one of the best ones.

Velho Barreiro Gold Reserva Especial is a premium expression of Cachaça, first released in 2005. The gold-plated bottle hides a lovely floral and sweet Spirit that won the Embanews Prize the very same year. Its golden color comes from blending aged Cachaça with the traditional white (branca & ouro). The aged one was matured for up to a year in wooden barrels. It's a fantastic base for your Caipirinhas or make yourself a less traditional Brazilian Vesper with Vodka and Lillet Blanc.