The production itself:

First of all, is should be noticed that in spite of sugar cane being produced in almost every part of Brazil, just a few Brazilian regions manage to produce high quality handmade cachaças (also known as sugar cane brandies or Brazilian rum). Thus, the main production States are Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Ceara, Pernambuco e Goias.

The handmade cachaças are produced through distillation of fermented sugar cane must, without any chemical component added to the process.

The mature sugar cane, after harvesting, is crushed and put in pipes made of wood or stainless steel, and then is mixed with ground corn for fermentation. After a 24-hour period, the fermented must is transported to copper alembics where it is finally distilled. The first and the last 10 percents of the liquid are abandoned, due to being too strong, in the first case, or too weak, in the last one.

Aging:

After production, Mercedes is put in Pau Brasil wood vats for curing and aging, for at least 12 months. The Pau Brasil (caesalpinia echinata lam) is the tree after which our Country was named, and its red pigment gives Mercedes its unique color. This wood is better known for its use to the production of violin bows.