Spirit
Aguardiente
Aguardiente is the anise-flavoured sugarcane spirit of Colombia and the country's unofficial national drink: a clear, lightly sweet liquor of aniseed and liquorice distilled from sugarcane and bottled at a modest 24 to 29 percent alcohol, sold in departmental brands and drunk in neat chilled shots at fiestas, weddings and late-night gatherings across the Andes.
BalancedSpirit-forward
At a glance
Signature
Anise & Liquorice
Sweet
Strength
Spirit-forward
by taste profile
Sweet and clean, aguardiente leads with aniseed and liquorice over a light, faintly sugary sugarcane spirit, the anethole giving a cooling fennel-like warmth on the tongue. At a modest 24 to 29 percent alcohol it is softer and less fiery than most spirits, with a mild burn and a rounded, gently sweet body; the traditional sweetened style is candy-like while the 'sin azucar' version is drier and sharper. Drunk cold and neat, it finishes with lingering liquorice and a warming glow, the reason it slips down so easily in shots.
Taste balance
BitternessSmooth
SmoothBitter
StrengthStrong
LightStrong