Skip to main content

Review: Avuá Cachaça Aged in Rare Brazilian Wood

avuá
Image used with permission by copyright holder

For those that missed our coverage of cachaça around the Olympics, the easiest way to think of it is the Brazilian cousin to rum. Made from sugar cane juice (whereas rum is processed sugar cane juice—molasses), cachaça tends to reflect the terroir of the land more accurately than with rums, as the base ingredient isn’t chemically altered by heat in the same way that molasses is.

Recommended Videos

Avuá’s newest release, Tapinhoã, is named after the rare species of hardwood found in certain parts of South America. According to Avuá’s website, the barrel that this spirit was aged in was previously used by the distiller’s father decades before. All of Avuá’s cachaça is single-sourced and pot distilled at a farm that’s been in the same family for three generations, located around four hours from Rio. Tapinhoã is the second rare wood expression from Avuá.

Nose: More than anything, banana is heavy on the nose. Caramel sweetness backs that up in a pleasant way. Like other cachaças, the floral, fresh notes that evoke the land the spirit comes from are also here.

Palate:  Caramel and banana at the beginning of the taste, followed by a little wild honey, then toasted coconut. You can taste the Tapinhoã clearly by the end of the palate—it stands out as the sweet flavors fade.

Finish: Short, crisp finish. The toasted coconut imbued by the barrel sticks around from the palate.

Final Thoughts: This isn’t my favorite of the cachaças I’ve had the opportunity to try in the past few months, but the fact that it is aged in a rare species of wood is a good enough reason to try Avuá Tapinhoã. For those that want a chance to really see what the barrel can do to a spirit in something that isn’t a whiskey, this would be a good spirit to pair and compare with an unaged cachaça.

Avuá Tapinhoã is 40% ABV and retails for $79.99.

Sam Slaughter
Sam Slaughter was the Food and Drink Editor for The Manual. Born and raised in New Jersey, he’s called the South home for…
J. Rieger & Co. announced the release of its most limited and rare whiskey ever
J. Rieger & Co. is releasing a Solera-aged whiskey
J. Rieger

Missouri-based distillery  J. Rieger & Co. just announced the launch of its most limited and rare whiskey ever made. It’s called the 2025 Monogram Kansas City Whiskey Solera Reserve, and it’s keeping the brand’s “Monogram” name (that was used for whiskeys in the pre-prohibition days) alive with an exceptional, new release that uses a timeless aging technique.
J. Rieger 2025 Monogram Kansas City Whiskey Solera Reserve

Crafted by Master Distiller Nathan Perry, Co-Founder Ryan Maybee, and an expert tasting panel, this limited release is made using a unique solera aging process. The 2025 expression is a blend of straight bourbon, straight rye, and light corn whiskey.

Read more
Old Forester is going to up your home bartending game with its new cocktail cherries
Old Forester is launching cocktail cherries
Old Forester

Fans of the timeless Manhattan cocktail know that it isn't finished until it's garnished with a cherry or two. However, if you're taking the time to include a high-quality rye whiskey or bourbon, sweet vermouth, and Angostura bitters, you don't want to use cloyingly sweet, generically red maraschino cherries.

You need a high-quality, flavorful cherry for your cocktail. Especially if a renowned bourbon distillery makes it. Luckily, the folks at Old Forester have you covered. That's because the iconic brand recently announced the launch of the perfect complement to your go-to whiskey cocktail: Old Forester Cocktail Cherries.
Old Forester Cocktail Cherries

Read more
Smoking meat on a gas grill is easier than you think — here’s how to start
Affordable tools that make your gas grill smoke like a pro
chicken cooking on a gas grill

I never planned on getting into smoking; I had a basic gas grill, no fancy add-ons, and no clue what I was doing. But after trying a few simple techniques and picking up a couple of affordable tools, I realized that smoking food on a gas grill was more doable than I thought. You don’t need to spend hundreds on a full smoker setup to enjoy the rich, slow-cooked flavors of real wood smoke. With the right accessories, your existing gas grill can do a lot more than just burgers and hot dogs. These budget-friendly tools make it easier to get great results without overcomplicating the process.

Smoker box

Read more