Press Release Headlines

Leblon Announces Victory As TTB Recognizes Cachaca As An Official Spirit And Distinctive Of Brazil!

Industry Spirits Leader Wins "Legalize Cachaca" Movement & Launches New "Be Brazilian Be Leblon" Campaign.

SAO PAULO, Feb. 25, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — On February 25th, the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) will finally "legalize cachaca," as they publish a final rule that will recognize Brazil's national spirit as an official spirit and a distinctive product of Brazil.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130225/PH65516LOGO)

Leblon led efforts through social media and nightlife events, collecting over 300,000 signatures, to bring the petition to Congress. They also held frequent rallies and directly lobbied the TTB to pass the new legislation. Over those years, Brazilian-style has taken on a life of its own.

Hard work followed by a delicious Caipirinha and a bit of dancing – that's the way to be Brazilian. To celebrate the culture of Brazil, Leblon is debuting the "Be Brazilian Be Leblon" movement to bring the best of Brazil to the world.

Leblon founder Steve Luttmann's book How to Be a Brazilian, which features tips such as O Jeitinho Brasileiro ("The Brazilian Way"), will launch the campaign. The book will be introduced this spring in conjunction with a "Be Brazilian" video series and Leblon's new signature Caipirinha Mix.  Leblon also recently introduced a new embossed bottle, as well as Reserva Especial, a delicious luxury Cachaca aged for two years in new French oak.

"Now that the U.S. government has recognized Cachaca, it's time for the world to discover what it means to be Brazilian without leaving the states," explains Luttmann.

Celebrations began at the South Beach Food and Wine Festival this past weekend with the unveiling of the new Be Brazilian Be Leblon CaipiMobile and will continue in other major cities over the next month.

Leblon has taken the U.S. market by storm and is the newest trend in New York, Miami, California, and Chicago. Top mixologists have taken Brazil's signature drink, the Caipirinha, and created fresh and never-before-seen Leblon cocktails.

Relax with a Caipirinha and channel a bit of Brazil: Cut half a lime into wedges and put into a rocks glass. Add two teaspoons of sugar, mash the lime and sugar with a muddler for 15 seconds, and add crushed ice up to the rim of the glass. Add two ounces of Leblon Cachaca, stir (or shake) thoroughly, and garnish with a lime wedge.

Winner of the Double Gold Medal at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition and seven consecutive medals with the title "Best Cachaca" in the same competition from 2006 to 2012, Leblon is handcrafted in Minas Gerais by Master Distiller Gilles Merlet. Leader in cachaca sales in Hollywood, New York, Miami, London, and Paris, Leblon is considered by many bartenders, chefs, and spirits experts to be the best white cachaca on the market.

To experience Leblon, a noble, pure spirit that is anything but the typical, harsh industrial cachaca, visit www.leblon.com.

About Leblon Natural Cane Cachaca

Leading a Brazilian invasion worldwide with its amazingly delicious, finely distilled spirit, Leblon Natural Cane Cachaca (pronounced ka-SHA-sa) is already the favorite alambique Cachaca in top venues in Brazil, where cachaca is the National Spirit. It is also the key ingredient to the Caipirinha (pronounced kai-pur-EEN-ya), the wildly popular, muddled lime cocktail and national treasure of Brazil. Winner of "Best Cachaca" a record five times, as well as an unprecedented seven consecutive gold medals from 2006 to 2012 at San Francisco's World Spirits Competition, Leblon is handcrafted and produced at the Maison Leblon in Minas Gerais, Brazil's fertile agricultural heartland.  Overseen by Gilles Merlet, one of the world's preeminent Master Distillers, Leblon's special quality is achieved with painstaking attention to every detail in the production process, from the cutting of the cane, fermentation, and distillation, to the filtering, blending, and resting in XO Cognac casks for up to six months.  The result is a lively, fruity nose with complex layers of flavor and an ultra-smooth finish that is perfect alone, mixed with fruit juice, in a traditional Caipirinha, or as a Brazilian twist to any cocktail. Leblon is available in all 50 U.S. States. (www.leblon.com)

Contact: Rachel Krupa, Krupa Consulting
rachel@krupaconsulting.com/(323) 656-6995