Drinks Atlas: Peruvian Pisco

The story of pisco is woven from the threads of Peruvian history—a tapestry shaped by colonization, adaptation, and reclamation. The country’s mountainous coastal region is considered one of the ancient cradles of civilization, ruled by the Inca Empire until Spanish conquistadors arrived in 1530. With them came European agriculture, including cattle, poultry, and grapes, which became wine made by Jesuit monks, and soon the brandy that came to be called pisco. “It is the first distillate of the Americas,” says Adam Weintraub, founder of Museo del Pisco, a bar and library of the spirit with three locations in Peru.

Between the central and southern coast, only five of Peru’s 24 departments are designated for the production of pisco by denomination of origin, established in 1991, using eight grape varieties. “Most of us have never even heard of the grapes because they are very endemic to Peru—they’ve evolved over the years,” says Weintraub. “The nature of the harsh environment for the grapes really provides one of the most extraordinary expressions. Pisco is the absolute most terroir bang-for-buck that you can get from any distillate.”

The modern pisco renaissance has risen in tandem with the country’s increasing culinary influence.“Within the cuisine movement, pisco started to flourish because of its ability to be very adaptable, nuanced, and flavorful,” Weintraub explains. “This was 12 or 15 years ago that the scene started to explode within Peru.”

Today, the vast majority of bodegas are historic, family-run operations making pisco for their local markets. But Weintraub is excited to see a new generation of young producers pushing the spirit forward, as well as returning Peruvians bringing a broader interest in quality and commerce to “make pisco an actual household name throughout the world, rather than just a point of pride for Peru.”

6 to Try

Caravedo

“Without question, the best value pisco to make a cocktail is Caravedo, which is what Museo uses for our house pisco in Peru. They have done a great job of bringing an accessible, quality product to the U.S.,” says Weintraub of the historic distillery, established in 1684 in the Ica Valley. “Their Torontel is an amazing mixer for a more fruit-forward cocktail, and the Quebranta is your average base pisco for mixing anything.”

Piscología

This women-founded brand in Azpitia, Peru, uses the estate-grown grapes of their master distiller and blender Nati Gordillo. “The two women who have led the project, Meg McFarland and Kami Kenna, are very knowledgeable in multiple spirits and categories,” says Weintraub. “They came together to create this wonderful, newer pisco that is great for sipping and mixing.”

Suyo

“This is a fun brand doing a really good job of creating hyper-local pisco,” says Weintraub of Suyo, based in the Mala Valley of Peru. “They are two Peruvian friends educated in America who produce small-batch, producer-oriented pisco. They work with local vineyards to create a micro batch, but they are doing a great job of bringing it into the U.S.”

Capurro

A fifth-generation family of distillers, Capurro is located in Peru’s Ica region, and specializes in puro (single varietal) piscos. “All their expressions are single estate and traditionally distilled,” says Weintraub. Worthy of sipping neat, the piscos are “very expressive of micro-climate and terroir.”

BarSol

“Their Acholada is one of the standard-bearers for mixology,” says Weintraub. “This versatile pisco has been paving the way for the rest of the category far longer than imaginable—approachable, affordable, and available almost everywhere. The Peruvian American owner, Diego Loret De Mola, is as passionate about the category as possible.”

Patrimonio

Created by Weintraub, Patrimonio is a new sipping pisco from Museo del Pisco that will be released stateside in late 2024. “It’s hyper local, using unique blends of grapes that are not traditionally done in the world of pisco,” says Weintraub. “All our grapes come from the regional valley consortium of producers in the Mala Valley. It has herbal presence on the palate, with jasmine, dry fruits, and banana on the nose.”