Novo Fogo Single Barrel Cachaca (75cl, 41%)

A single-cask Brazilian cachaça from Novo Fogo, distilled from fresh-pressed organic sugarcane at the brand's zero-waste distillery in Morretes, Paraná, in Brazil's Atlantic Rainforest. It is aged in charred American oak and bottled one barrel at a time at that barrel's own strength, with the barrel number and proof on the label. The pictured bottling comes from the 2020 harvest and reads 41% ABV. Novo Fogo was founded in 2010 by Dragos Axinte and is USDA-certified organic and carbon negative; a share of every case funds its Un-Endangered Forest reforestation project. Burnt caramel, butterscotch and vanilla from the oak sit over the spirit's natural cane and tropical fruit, with house notes of banana bread, cinnamon bark and coffee. The finish is long and smooth, closer to a good aged rum than to the sharp cachaça often met in a caipirinha.