Demonio de Los Andes Quebranta Pisco 70 cl 40%

There is no cask to hide behind. A Pisco Quebranta stands entirely bare: grape juice, fermentation, copper, then the bottle. What comes out is exactly as good as what went in, which is why Peruvians take the work in the vineyard so seriously.

The expert's description

Demonio de Los Andes Quebranta Pisco 70 cl 40% is a Peruvian Pisco Puro distilled from the Quebranta grape in copper pot stills and bottled at 40% with no water added.

Viña Tacama grows the fruit in the Ica region south of Lima, in the valleys that gave the whole category its name. This bottling is built on Quebranta alone, and distillation follows the traditional Peruvian approach with a slow run through copper and a narrow heart cut.

Quebranta is the most widely planted pisco grape in Peru and belongs to the non-aromatic varieties. It offers no flowers and no perfume, but body, dryness and a clear nutty character, and it can be mixed without vanishing. That is why it is the default choice behind the bar for a Pisco Sour or a Chilcano.

The rules governing Peruvian Pisco are among the strictest in the spirits world. No water may be added after distillation, no sugar, no colouring, no flavouring, and the spirit may not be aged in wood. The strength in the bottle is the strength the distiller lands on at the still, and everything else belongs to the grape.

Tasting notes

Nose

Dried fruit and a clear note of toffee, with walnut and pecan behind. Beneath that sits a dry, faintly earthy tone and a trace of light tobacco.

Palate

Full and structured. Caramelised fruit and roasted nuts first, then dark bread and a touch of pepper. The fruit reads as ripe rather than fresh.

Finish

Long and dry. Nuts and toffee hold on while the tobacco note settles at the back of the mouth.

Specifications

Name: Demonio de Los Andes Quebranta Pisco 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Viña Tacama
Region/Country: Ica Valley, Peru
Type: Peruvian Pisco Puro from the Quebranta grape
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Single distilled in copper pot stills to bottle proof
EAN no.: 7750359000086
Serving suggestion: Pisco Sour or a Chilcano with ginger ale and lime

Flavour profile

Nutty · Toffee · Dry · Full-bodied · Spicy

Did you know?

The name is borrowed from a man. Francisco de Carvajal was a Spanish conquistador in sixteenth-century Peru whose ruthlessness earned him the nickname El Demonio de los Andes. He is who the bottle is named after.

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

What does Demonio de Los Andes Quebranta taste like?

Dried fruit, toffee and roasted nuts. Walnut and pecan run all the way through, over a dry base, with a trace of light tobacco at the end. This is a full, structured style rather than a fresh and floral one.

Why is Quebranta the most widely planted variety in Peruvian Pisco?

Because it copes with the climate it has to grow in. Quebranta carries high sugar levels and is hardy enough for the drought and stony ground of the Ica Valley, and it yields a spirit with body. That mix of yield and character has made it the backbone of Peru's pisco production.

What does it mean that no water may be added after distillation?

That the strength in the bottle is the strength the spirit left the still with. The distiller controls the ABV by choosing where to cut the heart, not by diluting afterwards. It is one of the sharpest differences between Peruvian Pisco and most other spirit categories.

Can it be drunk neat, or is it only for cocktails?

Both. The nutty, caramelised notes show best neat at room temperature, but that same body is why Quebranta is the standard choice in a Pisco Sour. Taste it neat first and you will know what is going into the drink.

How does it differ from an Acholado?

This one is made from Quebranta alone, while an Acholado blends several varieties. That makes it more direct and less floral, with all the weight placed on body and nuttiness. An Acholado, by contrast, gains scent from the aromatic grapes.

Is Pisco a sweetened spirit?

No, Pisco is a dry grape brandy. Nothing may be added to it, neither sugar nor colouring nor flavouring, so anything that reads as sweetness comes from the fruit itself. That is what separates it from the sweetened categories it sometimes gets shelved beside. Its closest relative is the grape brandy made by the Cognac Houses and Distilleries of France, only without the cask ageing.

Where does the word Pisco come from?

From the town and port of Pisco on Peru's southern coast, where the spirit was shipped out during the colonial era. The word itself comes from Quechua and means bird. The grapes for this bottle grow in the same valleys behind that port.