Avua Still Strength Cachaca

Avua Still Strength Cachaca is a 90-proof (45% ABV) Brazilian cachaça — bottled at still strength, undiluted, pulled straight off the copper alembic pot still — from single-estate hand-cut sugarcane, in a 750mL bottle. Made by Katia Espírito Santo, one of Brazil's few female distillers, it is double-distilled in a traditional copper alembic and rested in stainless steel rather than wood, so what reaches the glass is pure cane spirit at full power. Launched in 2017 as one of the first higher-proof cachaças in the US, built for the tiki-cocktail revival. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA.

• Proof / ABV: 90 proof (45% ABV) — bottled undiluted at still strength
• Size: 750mL
• Cane: Single-estate hand-cut sugarcane (brand estate: Fazenda da Quinta, north of Rio — grown pesticide-free, ground with a waterwheel)
• Process: Fermented under 24 hours with wild yeasts; double-distilled in copper alembic pot still; rested in stainless steel — unaged
• Producer: Avua, Brazil — distiller Katia Espírito Santo; initial run of 600 bottles (2017)
• Awards: Gold Medal, San Francisco World Spirits Competition; 89 points, Wine Enthusiast

Cachaça at Full Power

Most cachaça sold in the US is bottled at a polite 40% — Avua's Still Strength expression refused. Pulled off the still at 45% and never diluted, it was an early flag-bearer for the idea that cachaça deserved the same high-proof respect as overproof rum and barrel-strength bourbon, arriving just as tiki's revival demanded bigger flavors. The spirit itself is unaged and funky in the best way: single-estate cane, wild-yeast fermentation under 24 hours, and a copper alembic doing the talking. It took Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 89 points from Wine Enthusiast. Shop the Avua collection, more cachaca, and rum at Del Mesa.

Tasting Notes

Per brand/importer copy and Wine Enthusiast: bold and crisp, with vegetal and banana notes, a black-pepper edge, and funky banana, lychee, and ginger. Wine Enthusiast's 89-point review notes a white-pepper finish. Expect grassy, vibrant cane character — this is cachaça with the volume up.

How to Enjoy

In cocktails first: at 90 proof it is built for Caipirinhas with backbone, tiki drinks, and stirred cocktails that need a high-proof cane spirit. Adventurous sippers can try it neat to taste the wild-yeast funk undiluted.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does "Still Strength" mean?
The cachaça is bottled undiluted, straight off the still at 45% ABV (90 proof) — no water added after distillation.

Is Avua Still Strength aged?
No — it is unaged, rested only in stainless-steel vats. All the flavor comes from the cane, fermentation, and copper pot still.

What awards has it won?
Gold at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and 89 points from Wine Enthusiast (plus B+ from Drinkhacker).

Order Avua Still Strength Cachaca online at Del Mesa Liquor, San Diego, CA — Brazil's boldest cane spirit, ready to ship.