1st Brazilian Single Malt Whisky Tasting in Scotland

Brazil is more familiar to the drinks world as a producer of cachaça and a substantial market for imported whisky, in particular Scotch, but whisky distillation has been taking place in southern Brazil since 1974 through Union Distillery. More recently, the Brazilian Single Malt Whisky category has increased in visibility and variety with the arrival of Lamas Destilaria in 2019 and the country’s first independent whisky bottler Lunatic Asylum in 2024.

For the first time ever in Scotland, single malt whiskies from these Brazilian producers will be available to be sampled at a tasting organised in conjunction with Andre de Almeida from Inside the Cask and East City Whisky Club, and taking place in Glasgow on Thursday 5th November 2026. Whisky Educator Pedro Menezes and Lunatic Asylum’s Co-Founder Rafael Nardi will be managing the tasting on the day.

Union operates in Bento Gonçalves, among the vineyards of Rio Grande do Sul state. Lamas is based in Matozinhos, Minas Gerais, a state more readily associated with cachaça. The development of the Brazilian Whisky Map is still in its early days but it connects regions with mature knowledge of fermentation, distillation, cooperage, wine and cachaça. Brazil’s climate shapes every producer’s choices.

As an example, annual evaporation can reach roughly five to seven per cent, compared with about one to two per cent in Scotland. Heat can increase interaction between spirit and wood, but faster extraction is not the same as maturity. It can intensify flavour rapidly while reducing the volume left to bottle. Native wood, fresh wine casks and a warm warehouse all demand close attention the impact of which will be available to sample for those attending the tasting on 5th November.

For further information on Brazilian Single Malt Whisky:

• Inside the Cask articles:
  • Union Distillery, a Hidden Whisky Gem in Brazil
  • Rooted in Brazil: How Lamas Destilaria is Giving Whisky a Local Voice
  • Lunatic Asylum: Brazil’s 1^st Independent Bottler of Whisky
  • The Brazilian Whisky Map