Novo Fogo Silver

Maybe I just need to try a better Cachaça? Maybe all Cachaças taste like this, and it's just not my thing. I won't know until I try another one. But for now... no go.
I made Caipirinhas for a group of friends from a popular recipe, and we tried it straight. Was not a good experience for any of us.

From the excellent fruity cane nose to the flavorful spicy clean smooth taste an all around champ. Easily the best Cachaca that was never aged in wood just rested 1 year in stainless steel. This beats out most aged Cachaca actually with it's inability to burn the throat. The only complaint I have is the short finish. Overall a great clean choice you get up after a night drinking this ready to go with no ill effect.

This is some damn good stuff. Even though a real Batida de Maracujá e Coco calls for aged cachaça I have used this in place and find it makes the Batida even better. Also makes one hell of a caipirinha. I enjoy this more than Novo Fogo's barrel-aged variety, although that is nice as well.

The perfect base for a caipirinha. The fruity florals are the perfect base for lime and mint.

40% ABV. Big nose. Super funky. Rotten fruits. Corn. Easy entry. Dry and somewhat briny. I wouldn't mind stronger, but this is some good stuff!

7+, 8-

The nose is very difficult to identify, but the resemblance to agave spirits is there. Very smooth mouthfeel with banana, cotton candy and again tequila. Best Cachaça I’ve tried.

Not just for the inevitable caipirinhas. Heavy cane and grass notes and a pretty thick taste. Will stand out in any mixed drink!

This artisan cachaca has been available on the shelves of my favorite liquor store for some time, but I saw several bottles of Avua on the top shelf. Rather than buy the Avua, I went home to research them. I returned to buy some Avua and they were all gone, so I bought this Novo Fogo Silver. I also picked up a bottle of La Favorite Coeur Canne from Martinique to compare. Smart move!

This cachaca is one step up from Leblon Light since this one can indeed be sipped neat. All of the industrial cachacas that have been available for many years in the USA definitely cannot be sipped neat. Leblon Light also cannot be sipped neat. When compared side by side to La Favorite rhum agricole, this Novo Fogo Silver has the more pronounced aroma of molasses, albeit faint. This had puzzled me on a recent rhum agricole from Louisiana, but evidently the smell of molasses can be a side effect of the distillation process in cachacas and rhum agricoles. However, the taste on both has no trace of molasses. Both are floral and vegetal, but this Novo Fogo does not have the bitter after taste of the rhum agricole. It is super smooth and I am glad that I finally bought a bottle. Using it to make a caipirinha, the lime flavor dominates this cachaca as opposed to being the other way around when using industrial cachacas.

So in the end, artisan cachacas can only be distinguished from rhum agricoles by very subtle differences. The USA has termed cachacas as Brazilian Rum and I will have to agree with them. However, Brazil wants the USA to classify cachacas as their own unique spirit.

Great in a caipirinha, plays well with others in a caipifruta, respectable neat. Decent value. A proper introduction to unaged cachaça, enough to lead you down the rabbit hole.

Cocktails, cocktails, that's all it's good for...barely.