Cachaca Fazenda Mae de Ouro

Fazenda Mae de Ouro when translated into English literally means "The Mother of Gold Farm". Surrounded by rolling green hills our fields are a sea of tall green sugarcane, irrigated by water from the lake and the gentle tropical rains. As the sun sets over the waters, from a distance the fields look as if they are made of gold, giving us our name.

But we named it our farm not only for the beauty and the golden sunsets but also because we have tremendous respect for Mother Earth and our workers who produce our golden distillation.

Sustainable Agriculture
Cachacas are made by many different methods but everything begins with the sugarcane used. Much like specific types of grapes create special vintages, our sugarcane has been cultivated to the specific nature of our soil and the local climate. Our farming methods are a model of sustainable agriculture.

Today in Brazil millions of acres of sugar cane are burned each year because it enables rapid harvesting for cachaca production. While it is more labor intensive to harvest unburned sugarcane, we have chosen not to burn our crops or use machines to harvest the cane. Burning sugar cane pollutes the environment and it would also destroy the natural yeasts that give our cachaça its unique flavor. By hand selecting each plant and taking only what we need, we can harvest our crops at the peak of the season when the cane the sweetest possible.

Making the perfect Cachaca
Once selected, the cane is cold-pressed extracting the frothy, green juices. Using an all-natural fermentation process we begin the distillation process within 20 hours of pressing. A very quick fermentation is important to capture the purest flavors and the fresh sugarcane aroma

Our distillation process in Brazil is called "Cachaca Alimbique" because we produce limited quantities in small batches using traditional copper pot stills for distillation. This is the same process used that has been used for over 400 years. It is also the same process that a single malt scotch or a small batch bourbon producer might use.

This labor intensive process enables us to eliminate all impurities from our product, capturing the just the very best of the distillation. It takes 1000 liters of sugar cane juice to produce just 150 liters of distillation. From this about 15 liters off the top (known as the "heads") are discarded, and 15 liters are cut from the end (known as the "tails").

The Heart of the Heart
The remaining 120 liters is called the "heart" and is about 43-45% alcohol by volume. From this only the best 30 liters will be laid to rest in white oak for 1-2 years. As the cachaca ages, a percentage evaporates through the wood, which is often referred to as the "angel's share". When removed from the oak the cachaca is almost exactly at 40% alcohol, or 80 proof. Filtered 3 times this delicious spirit is finally bottled as Cachaca Fazenda Mae de Ouro. In total it takes 34 liters (9 gallons) of sugar cane juice to make just one bottle of Cachaca Fazenda Mae de Ouro.