Leblon Light Cachaca

Here in the USA, true artisanal Brazilian cachaca is hard to come by. I've had a special order in for 2 other light cachacas for almost a month now and 1 was denied as it isn't offered by the importer anymore and the other is Salinas which hasn't arrived and is still offered by a large import conglomerate so, I don't know what the issue is. Anyway, I've been reading about cachaca and Leblon seems to be a recipe targeted for American consumption. This bugs me and I've gone out of my way to try to obtain an authentic model of which to base my nose and palate on. However, my impatience and frustration got the best of me and Leblon went on sale so, here we are. The "sale" price was still $24.99. For an unaged sugar cane distillate, that is premium territory IMO. Of course it came with the plastic muddler as to suggest a sole intended purpose, Caipirinhas.
Let's get to it. The bottle pops nice and loud and I immediately gave it a curious whiff. Yep... its vegetal,musty and peppery with a little black olive, cooked zucchini or squash and a little rubber tinge and slight breath of vanilla yogurt. Not much astringency on the nose which was pleasant. In the glass there is no missing that hefty bouquet but did seem to calm down quite a bit. In the mouth it is a light and watery but not overly so. It is pleasantly creamy as well. I immediately get a hint of sweetness and peppery-vegetal-grassiness that seemed quite relaxed compared to the strong nose. There was a little lemon and black olive on the back end that led to a crisp finish with minimal and refreshing warmth. I really thought the flavor was going to be much more vegetal as the nose suggested however, to my delight it was much more rounded. This was both lightly savory and lightly sweet. It makes great caipirinhas. I also made some where I cut back the Leblon 1/2 oz and substituted Wray and Nephew overproof white rum and made killer caipirinhas! Hopefully my other cachaca will come soon and I can get a better perspective. I say give it a try if the price is right.
***EDIT***
I've added 1 more star because I've now bought a second bottle. It just pairs with the Wray and Nephew overproof white rum so well. Cheers!

Don't be swayed by the haters...they admit that they don't like cachaca in general. This particular brand is naturally sweet and buttery, with some fruit and spice as well. Agricole lovers will really enjoy this one. It's wonderful on its own. Goes down smooth - it's very deceptive - and before you know it you're ready for another. Several anothers later, it's "Where are my pants?"

This was my first Cachaca and my last. It has a strong smell of fermented grass that I found unpleasant. Sipping it straight was like tasting tequila but it will have to be a mixer. Not a nice vintage rum, which I prefer.

I read someone say this has a flavor like tequila. When I smelled this, it had an offensive smell! Horrible! Like a fart and a rotten banana! Fortunately it did not taste like that when I fought my repulsed instinct and forced myself to drink it. It did not burn too badly, and mixed well with citrus and pineapple. That being said, I would not buy again. All I taste is rotten fruit, no complexity or "tequila" smokiness at all. I have tried other cachaca brands and absolutely did taste tequila but not in this. Not a good first impression of cachaca...

I wanted to see what all the hoopla was about cachaca was. Tried this one. Never did I expect to wish I was drinking Valzola so badly! The aroma was pure alcohol with chemical undertones. The flavor was unprocessed garbage. Going down have me acid reflux for a few minutes. Avoid this at all costs.

bought this to try and recreate a mixed drink I really enjoyed at a restaurant. Didn't work out so well. Tried it in a blended frozen fruit drink, but has an odd taste that isn't even covered in the fruity drink.

This one is a little harsher than mae de ouro but a little fruitier and makes a better capairinha. For a much cheaper price Ypioca or 51 will make as good a mixer but are not as good if you want to sip occasionally.

One thing that is bothering me - I see people giving this low ratings of 2-4 because they don't like cachaca. That is not fair, a rating should be based on quality not on your personal preference.

Had this one at the end of the night, very sharp, though this is probably influenced by having had a sweet and very smooth rum before. Perhaps best mixed. Worth a try

My first cachaca. I had no idea what to expect but from other reviews it seems like people love it or hate it. It’s difficult to tell where these people are coming from though so I will do my best to give you a full picture.

I like unique and I like to sip spirits neat. I usually don’t mix cocktails but will every now and then, mostly for the ice on a hot day. I did use Leblon for some caipirinhas which I enjoyed immensely, though I had nothing to compare them to.

When sipping this cachaca straight this is what I observed:
Smells like a vegetable, very earthy/grassy.
Tastes similar, not much of a burn but a lot of unique flavours when compared to rum. In fact, it’s nothing like rum. Even agricoles are much more sugary tasting. This tastes like a buttery, grassy, leafy concoction. It’s not bad, but it’s definitely not in the area of rums for me. It’s in it’s own category like whiskey or ouzo. So if you haven’t tasted it before, don’t be expecting anything like rum. It is not even close. Maybe closer to gin actually.
Once I get another bottle of cachaca to compare to, I may adjust the rating. For now, it’s a solid 5. Nothing to write home about but something fun to try on the side. If you haven’t had a caipirinha before, that is something you must try.

Its drinkable in a Caipirinha. You can also enjoy it when the rest of the ingredients is high quality since theres at least no intrusive spirit taste. But is it a good choice for a Caipitinha? No. I would not buy it again.