Demonio de Los Andes Acholado Pisco 70 cl 40%

An Acholado is a decision. Four grape varieties, each with its own temper, brought together in one spirit because none of them can do the whole job alone. This is the style Peruvians themselves reach for when the shaker comes out.

The expert's description

Demonio de Los Andes Acholado Pisco 70 cl 40% is a Peruvian Pisco Acholado distilled from the Albilla, Italia, Moscatel and Quebranta grapes in copper pot stills and bottled at 40% with no water added.

Acholado is one of the three categories Peruvian Pisco divides into. A Puro is made from a single variety, a Mosto Verde from partially fermented must, and an Acholado is the blend of several varieties. Quebranta supplies body and structure here, while Albilla, Italia and Moscatel lay flowers and fruit over the top. That combination is what makes the style so durable in cocktails: there is a floor as well as a scent.

The bottle comes from Viña Tacama in the Ica Valley south of Lima, where the grapes for Demonio de Los Andes grow on the estate's own land. Sandy soil, cold nights and coastal fog off the Pacific leave the fruit with acidity, and acidity is what holds the aromatics upright through fermentation and distillation.

No cask comes anywhere near this bottle, and no water, sugar, colouring or flavouring may be added. Everything in the glass is distilled grape. Demonio de Los Andes is the house's most widely sold pisco range and appears both as an Acholado and as single-variety bottlings.

Tasting notes

Nose

Lime and orange first, with jasmine sitting right behind. Ripe pear and a dry, nutty tone lie underneath.

Palate

The fruit is soft and round: pear, citrus peel and dried fruit. Then walnut and pecan arrive, and a streak of light tobacco closes the door.

Finish

Easy and even. The nuts stay put while citrus and flowers withdraw slowly.

Specifications

Name: Demonio de Los Andes Acholado Pisco 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Viña Tacama
Region/Country: Ica Valley, Peru
Type: Peruvian Pisco Acholado from the Albilla, Italia, Moscatel and Quebranta grapes
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Single distilled in copper pot stills to bottle proof
EAN no.: 7750359000291
Serving suggestion: Pisco Sour with lime and egg white, or neat in a tulip glass

Flavour profile

Fruity · Floral · Nutty · Round · Dry

Did you know?

The word acholado comes from cholo and means mixed. In the world of pisco that carries no slight at all: it is an official category alongside Puro and Mosto Verde, and many of Peru's hardest-working bar piscos are acholados.

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Frequently asked questions about Demonio de Los Andes Acholado Pisco 70 cl 40%

What does Acholado mean, and which grapes are in this one?

Acholado means blended and covers a Pisco made from several grape varieties. This bottle carries Albilla, Italia, Moscatel and Quebranta. The first three are aromatic and supply scent, while Quebranta handles body and structure.

Is an Acholado inferior to a single-variety Pisco?

No, it is a different category rather than a lower one. A Puro shows a single variety as clearly as possible, while an Acholado is assembled to deliver both aroma and body in the same glass. That is precisely why acholados are the everyday choice behind the bar in Lima.

Which Pisco Sour works best with an Acholado?

The classic one. The Quebranta in the blend gives the weight needed against lime and egg white, while the aromatic grapes add a floral layer a pure Quebranta does not carry. Keep the sugar syrup light so those flowers still register.

What does the Quebranta grape contribute to the blend?

Body, sugar and an earthy sort of fruit. Quebranta is non-aromatic and takes up little room on the nose, but it gives the spirit weight on the tongue. Without it an acholado would quickly seem thin and perfumed.

Why does it taste of nuts and tobacco when it has never touched a cask?

Because those notes come from the grape and the distillation, not from wood. A slow run through copper develops nutty and lightly smoky tones entirely on its own. It is the same mechanism that gives any good unaged brandy its depth. At the Cognac Houses and Distilleries of France, by contrast, comparable notes arrive only after many years in oak.

How does this differ from a Mosto Verde?

Acholado is about which grapes go in, Mosto Verde about when fermentation is stopped. A Mosto Verde is distilled from must that never finished fermenting, which yields a softer texture and demands far more fruit. An Acholado is defined by the blend of varieties instead.

How is it best served?

At room temperature in a small tulip glass if you drink it neat, and over plenty of ice if it is going into a drink. Skip the freezer, which shuts the jasmine and citrus down completely. A couple of minutes in the glass makes a clear difference.