May 24, 2007

Agua Luca Cachaca Review

We've already called 2007 as the year Cachaca will take the U.S. by storm, and the bottle of Agua Luca we've got sitting here in front of us is one of the contenders hoping to do so. Marketed as an ultra-premium label, Agua Luca is coming straight from Brazil to your glass - and being filtered 12 times in between.

Read on to find out how Agua Luca measures up to our demanding requirements for whipping up Caipirinhas.

Agua Luca
Ultra Premium Cachaca (Sugar Cane Rum)
Imported from Brazil
80 Proof (40% ABV)
Typical Price: About $30 for 750ML
Website

The Look:
The liquor itself is clear as vodka, and looks 100% neutral with no coloring. The bottle is pretty cool looking, fading from a deep green at the bottom to clear at the top and fully tube-like. A standout on any shelf, it was summed up best by our intern who said "Oh wow, cool bottle!" From the mouths of babes...

The Nose:
Sweet and light, with a very distant hint of citrus. The sweetness was very sugary but not in the molasses way you might expect from traditional rums - it definitely smelled of its sugar cane heritage.

The Taste:
As we mentioned above, Agua Luca is distilled 12 times, and it shows in the finished product. It's very refined, without any of the edge we expect from our Cachaca. This is a double-edged sword, however - there's none of the aggressive harshness we've encountered, but the end result could be classified as tasting most like a sweet vodka.

There's nothing wrong with that, and it definitely mixes some tasty drinks, but there's a layer of what we can only call "Cachaca-ness" missing. When we mixed our Caipirinhas we had to reign ourselves in on the simple syrup or the result was far too sweet, but once we figured that out it didn't make a bad drink. It fit in well with other mixers as well, and we see why it's considered an ultra-premium spirit.

The Verdict:
Good stuff, and worth a try if you're a Cachaca completist. Don't shy away from it and order away if you see it in a bar. If you're getting a bottle, take our advice about holding back a bit on simple syrup, and you'll do just fine.