Q & A With Steve Luttmann, Founder
Leblon Cachaca

LEBLON is an ultra-premium Cachaça (ka-SHAH-sa) produced in Minas Gerais, Brazil. The rum-like spirit, the most award-winning Cachaça on the market, is made from fresh-pressed Brazilian sugar cane that is then rested in cognac casks and blended to create superior complexity and taste. Cachaça is the main ingredient in the Caipirinha (kai-pur-EEN-ya), the national cocktail of Brazil. LEBLON is the leading luxury Cachaça in high-end establishments and a consecutive four-time Gold Medal winner at the San Francisco World Spirits Competition, and Best in Class at the Rum Experience International Tasting Competition - London. LEBLON is the leader of the Cachaça category and its growth in the United States since 2005.

Favorites

• Restaurant: Pastis and Gennaro in Manhattan
• Hobbies/Interests: Running, biking, skiing, playing piano and guitar, reading about history, traveling to Brazil, anything Apple/Mac
• Home Cooked Meal: A traditional Brazilian dish of chicken with rice and beans
• Celebrity Leblon Fan: Regina Case, a well-known Brazilian actress who loves Leblon; Heather Graham

About Steve

• College Attended: Penn State and NYU; majored in marketing and economics
• Favorite music on iPod Right Now: Leonard Cohen, Gabriel O Pensador
• People probably do not know that I: am also a self-taught aspiring graphic artist. I do a lot of the artwork for Leblon, at least the concepting, and then hand it over to my Adobe expert.
• First Car: An old, beat-up Volvo with 200,00 miles that was 25 years old at the time.

In the Beverage Biz

• Advice for an entrepreneur seeking to break into the industry:

The key is to really like what your particular product is about. In my case, I am a big fan of Brazil - I speak Portuguese, love the culture, married a Brazilian...I always say there are speculators and there are innovators. You can smell a speculator a mile away - they are always looking for the quick buck. But in this business, there's too sophisticated of a consumer set to cut corners. If you are passionate, you will be successful and it will show in your work. You have to do this day in and day out, so you better love it - and life is too short to do otherwise!

• Effects the economy has had on the industry:

It's had a really tough impact. Before the recession, there were gazillion new products on the market and a lot of money floating around. Any businesses that were slightly questionable are now gone. If you're alive and rocking right now, you are relevant and have something going...which is good for us. We're relevant and very happy that people like our product, despite the challenging economic times.

• Cutting edge product/company emerging on to the market:

I think St. Germain is fantastic. Its innovation and use of the elderflower is something never done before - in a fresh, exciting way. Nice work Rob and Company.

About Leblon Cachaça

• Who are some of your mentors in the beverage industry? What are some of the most valuable lessons you have learned?

Number one is Alexandra Marnier Lapostolle, Grand Marnier owner and creator of Casa Lapostolle wines. She taught me what it takes to create a great product, the importance of not cutting any corners, especially in production. She did something with Chilean wine similar to what we did with Leblon. She brought in Michel Rolland, one of the best winemakers in the world, to make her Chilean wines. At the time, Chilean wine was not exciting. Last year, her Clos Apalta was the top wine per Wine Spectator.

Our approach at Leblon was very similar with Gilles Merlet, a cognac master distiller, who approaches the fermentation, distillation and finishing of Cachaça like a fine wine. Gilles is the genius behind Leblon's great taste and our amazing state-of-the-art distillery in Minas Gerais, the Maison Leblon.

My second mentor is Michel Roux, creator of Absolut and Bombay. In some ways, he started the 'modern movement' of branding in the spirits industry.  Everything he touched turned to gold, and his marketing was very inspiring.

Also, there is John Esposito, a former boss of mine. I learned from him (and a guy named Damien McKinney, who developed the 'mission analysis technique') to take a mission and break it down so everyone has his or her own specific mission, as opposed to a simple job description. Each person is clearly responsible and accountable for delivering this mission. I use the technique now almost instinctively, as I know many others do who have come into contact with the 'McKinney Rogers' mission analysis. Our mission is to be the iconic, Brazilian luxury brand, and each employee here knows the breakdown of his or her own mission. It's pretty cool, and very simple (check out Damien's site at www.mckinneyrogers.com to learn more).

• For the consumer who is unfamiliar with Leblon, describe the flavor notes one can expect to taste?

Leblon has a very floral bouquet, a lot of lychee, grapefruit, a little bit of lemongrass. A very delicate, fruity nose with a smooth finish. Great body and complexity, with some nice vanilla notes that come in at the end. Tastes great neat, mixed with your favorite fruit juice, or in a Caipirinha. I like it with tonic and a twist of lime.

• How did you determine that Leblon, a beach in Brazil, would be a fitting name for your new Cachaça?

Since our brand is in the heart of Brazil, and we have a French touch (Gilles Merlet, our Master Distiller, is French, and we rest our Cachaça in French XO Cognac casks up to 6 months in Brazil), Leblon is perfect since it's a Brazilian/French name. Leblon also speaks to the nature of our product- a white Cachaça. Finally, I love Leblon Beach. I always admired the two striking mountains at the end of the beach, called the Two Brothers Mountains. You may have noticed that we use the mountains as our brand icon: 'wherever you are, you are in Leblon..."

• In addition to traditional methods, you utilize European winemaking techniques to produce Leblon. How does that affect the final product as opposed to if you only used standard Cachaça methods?

Originally, Cachaça was made from column stills. In the 50s, with the creation of ethanol, Cachaça makers started making it with huge columns, which tend to be much cheaper and more efficient because they are made in a continuous process. With this process, the benefit of cane is cooked out, over-distilled, and rather 'impure.' That is one important distinction. We are an artisanal Cachaça, made in batches with Alambique potstills (like they used to make Eau-de-Vie in Cognac, France). We are certified by IMA (Instituto Mineiro de Agropecuária) in Brazil as an Artisanal Cachaça following the strict protocol of Alambique production in Minas Gerais.

With artisanal Cachaça, we've taken that technique to a higher level, mastering every step in the process with the experience and expertise of Gilles Merlet. Every detail has been studied, tested, and perfect - from selecting the cane; cutting the cane by hand, using only the juicy core; transporting the cane quickly to press within three hours; the high quality of our controlled fermentation; a single distillation to retain the taste and aroma of the fresh cane...we are all about capturing the flavor and nobility of fresh sugar cane, and turning it into a noble spirit with aroma, flavor, and complexity.

• Talk about your "Legalize Cachaça " petition and protest that is fighting for the United States to recognize Cachaça and not refer to it as "Brazilian Rum..." Has it been effective?

We are in the process of getting Cachaça, Brazil's national spirit, recognized as its own drink appellation, similar to cognac or champagne. The Unites States is the only country in the world that does not recognize Cachaça as its own category. We are required to have 'Brazilian Rum' on the label, which is silly and confusing since rum was created 100 years later (Cachaça was created in 1532 in Brazil, and rum was created in the 1600s in the Caribbean). Cachaça is made from pressed cane and made according to normative laws controlled by the Brazilian government. Rum is mostly made from molasses in the Caribbean region. Nothing against Rum - we love rum - but Cachaça is just not rum. It's the third most consumed spirit in the world, made only in Brazil, and deserves its own appellation and recognition here in the United States.

To make this happen, we are working with other Cachaça producers, the Brazilian government, and the US government's regulatory arm, the TTB, to make the change. We expect the change to happen, and we are now using the 'Legalize Cachaça' mantra to increase awareness and galvanize support for our cause.  Check our www.legalizecachaca.com to sign our petition and learn more!

• Most effective Leblon marketing campaign?

Legalize Cachaça has been very effective. But more brand-specific, our Cachaça master classes we've held throughout the country have been very effective. We bring in bartenders, mixologists, chefs, and restaurateurs, and take them through Cachaça 101. We've done about 100 classes throughout country. I call this group 'the few who get to the many.' They are the ones who really need to understand the category and brand so they can teach and tell others about it. Cachaça is as exciting as tequila, scotch, and wine, so getting the right people involved is crucial for the development of our category and our brand.

• Your favorite Leblon Caipirinha?

I call it the Naked Caipirinha. It's just Leblon with tonic and a squeeze of lime. It's like a Brazilian spritzer...it's really refreshing, well balanced and you can really taste the Leblon.

• Any new plans for Leblon?
  Our most important initiative right now is international expansion. We are figuring out the logistics, approaches and resources to increase our market coverage overseas. Cachaça is becoming a hit globally. People love Brazilian food, music, women, culture...so our biggest plan is global expansion so everyone can experience Brazil's Finest in a Bottle, wherever they are!

CHEERS!