Sapucaia Real Extra Old Versao Limitada
来源: https://thefatrumpirate.com/
Sapucaia Real Extra Old Versao Limitada. Sapucaia are a Cachaça brand founded way back in 1933. Hailing from Pindamonhangaba in the state of São Paulo. It was originally created by well known (at the time) entrepreneur Cicero da Silva Prado. It is still owned by the family.
The sugar cane estate and distillery is housed in the Vale do Paraíba. Sapucaia refers to a tropical tree in the Brazilian nut family Lecythidacae. The nut is shaped like a pot and contains edible seeds. It is grown largely as an ornamental tree due to its purple flowers.
In recent times Sapucaia have moved to a newer distillery in Pirassununga – a very famous and respected location for Cachaça. The brand does have their own website but unfortunately it is down at the moment due to an issue with a WordPress installation.
Sapucaia Real Extra Old Versao Limitada is, as you have probably guessed, a Limited Edition release. I have previously reviewed Sapucaia Real 18 Years – this is a slightly different variation on that cachaça.
Like the Sapucaia Real 18 Years, this cachaça is produced from a base of pot still cachaça from 1990, aged for 18 years in French oak barrels. This is complemented by a small proportion of white cachaça resting in stainless steel since 2002 and a portion aged in Amburana casks.
It is also interesting to note that Wm. Cadenhead’s, famous for bottling Scotch whisky, currently have aged cachaça available from Sapucaia distillery.
Which leads us to the price of this particular cachaça. I found it for sale here. R$580 works out at about £83. This is a limited edition of only 500 bottles.
Sapucaia Real Extra Old Versao Limitada is bottled at a rather conservative 40% ABV the bottle is similar to others in the Sapucaia range. A very old school traditional style cachaca bottle with a very short neck. Despite the premium price tag you are still presented with a screw cap, albeit has been covered in some kind of foil. Colour scheme we have gold and black to show its Premium credentials. It looks very olde world rather then a Premium product by Western standards.
The back label has a little information on the bottling in Portuguese and a link to the website etc.
So lets move and get on with the tasting for this one.
The nose is clean and crisp, with a slight vinegar note to it. It has a stony/earthy quality to it. It is sweeter and more fruity than some of the more creamy and buttery aged cachaca I have tried. Green Apples, a touch of pear and some pineapple juice.
Further nosing and time in the glass reveals a very interesting smoked note. Tobacco leaves and some freshly cut, slightly burnt grass.
As you will find with cachaca the nose is quite delicate. Relying more on balance and subtlety rather than brute force power like a lot of heavy molasses rums. This is a pretty light, easy going profile. However, there is plenty of complexity to be enjoyed. Do not rush with this one.
It is quite similar to the Sapucaia Real 18 Years, unsurprisingly I guess.
Sipped you get a fair bit of smoke and tobacco on the initial entry. This is complimented by some sweeter grassier notes of sugar cane juice and some floral/perfumed notes. The younger cachaca makes it self felt. So you get some slightly immature notes of young white cachaca. This adds a little extra bite but I do feel the 18 Years had a more authentic 100% aged cachaca profile, which I slightly preferred.
The mid palate becomes quite stony and mineral like. There is minimal burn but there is enough wood spice and oakiness to keep the cachaca going through the finish.
The finish reveals a little bit of tartness and a fairly short fade out of the oak and spice. I was hoping for more from the finish. It is a touch on the short side.
Overall this is a very pleasant, easy going cachaca. The nose is nicely balanced and the initial delivery and mid palate are very flavourful and pretty complex. The let down is with the finish which is quite short and fades too quickly for such a premium product.
Overall this is a very pleasant, easy going cachaca. The nose is nicely balanced and the initial delivery and mid palate are very flavourful and pretty complex. The let down is with the finish which is quite short and fades too quickly for such a premium product.
It’s good but at this kind of price point I would expect more. In terms of value for money so far from the Sapucaia range the Florida Ouro is the clear winner. It offers the best bang for your buck. This is a bit pricy and whilst it is very good – it probably isn’t £150 plus good.