Updated June 2026.
Cachaça is a Brazilian sugarcane spirit, not a second name for rum. Brazil makes it from fermented sugarcane must. TTB treats “Cachaça” as a type of rum and a distinctive product of Brazil, so a US label may say cachaça or rum. Brazilian law cited in the 2013 TTB rule uses 38–48% ABV; US rum is bottled at 40% or more. A 1.5-ounce pour at 40% is one NIAAA drink.
Related: rum taste, Jamaican rum labels, Bacardi gold vs Superior.
Label vs pour
| Language | 1.5 oz drinks |
|---|---|
| US rum class | 1.00 at 40% |
| US cachaça type | From labeled ABV |
| Brazilian band | Under 40% is not US rum |
| Sugarcane must | — |
A 750 mL 40% bottle is about 17 drinks. Four pours are four drinks. Pour math: rum drinks.
Sources
- 27 CFR 5.147 rum + cachaça type. TTB 2013 recognition / FR 78-37.
- NIAAA December 2025. Do not treat cachaça as generic rum except for that US type.
- 27 CFR 5.147; bottled ≥40%