A.H. Riise Santos Dumont XO Palmira

Santos Dumont is a cachaca, the Brazilian spirit made from fresh sugar-cane juice, here bottled by A.H. Riise as a soft, sweet XO. Cachaca is its own legal category rather than rum, and while it is normally fairly dry, this expression is plainly built on the sweet, dessert side and reads more like a flavoured after-dinner pour than a grassy traditional cachaca.

Despite the fresh-cane base, the profile here is all honeyed richness, raisin, dried apricot, vanilla and butterscotch with a soft, sweet finish, the bottler's house style for rounded, easy sippers. At 40% it is gentle and approachable, the sweetness carrying it, so the raw green-cane character you would expect from a caipirinha cachaca is largely set aside in favour of comfort. The added-sugar level is not disclosed, but the bottle is honestly a sweet one, best enjoyed neat or over ice as a relaxed treat.