Fazenda Velha Ouro

Distiller: Engenho Fazenda Velha

Location: Nova Odessa, São Paulo

Aged: Yes, 8 years

Type of wood used: Oak and amburana

ABV: 39%

I purchased this bottle as Eu Amo Cachaça closed at the airport. I’d heard about Fazenda Velha for a while. A representative of theirs has asked me to come down there for a visit. Of course the pandemic has put a lid on my travel, so I’m not going anywhere until I get a vaccine.

Let me state up front that this is a very, very good cachaça. Way above average. I could tell that this wasn’t simply oak-aged, but couldn’t gather that it was also aged in amburana until I looked up the product online. Color me surprised! A second surprise is the age: 8 years. That’s quite unusual for something called an “ouro” or gold. Usually, this would describe a cachaça aged for a short amount of time in a large wooden structure, greater than 700 liters.

But let me tell you, don’t get fooled by the label.

This ouro is a lovely amber with a medium intensity. The nose is clean, with a medium intensity, hints of cane, toffee, and vanilla quite present. The palate is, of course off-dry with a warming texture. Its medium intensity is characterized by the similar cane, toffee, and vanilla notes in the nose.

As I said in the previous paragraph, this is good. Wow, is this good. Calling it an ouro does disservice to this. Not because there is anything wrong with an ouro, but because the label undervalues just how good a product this is. Sure, it probably doesn’t fit the legal labels of an extra premium, but this is as good as any extra premium. And at an exceptional price, considering the quality.

I highly recommend this one!