Cachaça VS Rhum Agricole

Cachaça and rhum agricole are both sugarcane-based spirits, but they differ in several key ways:

  1. Origin: Cachaça is a Brazilian spirit, while rhum agricole is produced in the French-speaking Caribbean islands, such as Martinique, Guadeloupe, and Haiti.

  2. Raw material: Cachaça is typically made from fermented sugarcane juice, while rhum agricole is made from fresh sugarcane juice, which is pressed from the sugarcane stalks and fermented within 24 hours.

  3. Production methods: The production of cachaça usually involves distillation in traditional copper pot stills, while rhum agricole is produced using a unique method known as rhum agricole alembic distillation, which involves the use of column stills and a copper condenser.

  4. Flavor profile: Cachaça tends to have a slightly sweet and fruity flavor profile, while rhum agricole has a more vegetal and grassy flavor due to the use of fresh sugarcane juice.

  5. Aging: While both cachaça and rhum agricole can be aged, the aging process for rhum agricole tends to be longer and more common, with aged rhum agricole often being compared to fine whiskies and brandies.

Overall, cachaça and rhum agricole are both unique and flavorful spirits, but they have distinct differences in terms of origin, raw materials, production methods, and flavor profiles.

Tim Dam-Richards