Pisco

Pisco - South American Brandy

BarSol Pisco

Demonio de Los Andes Pisco

Barsol Pisco Mosto Verde Italia 70 cl 41.8%
Item no.: 059763-615-903
Making Mosto Verde means stopping halfway. The fermentation is never allowed to finish, and a large share of the sugar never becomes alcohol at all. It costs twice as many grapes per bottle. In return, something happens in the copper still that happens no other way.
The expert's description
Barsol Pisco Mosto Verde Italia 70 cl 41.8% is a Peruvian Pisco Mosto Verde distilled from the aromatic Italia grape in copper pot stills and bottled at 41.8% with no water added.
Mosto Verde means green must, and it refers to a must that is not yet finished. Rather than letting fermentation run its full course, it is halted while sugar is still present, and the must goes to the still in that state. The sugar does not carry across into the distillate, but the must behaves differently during distillation, and the result is a fuller, oilier texture that many read as sweetness even though there is not a gram of sugar in the bottle.
The bill is paid in raw material. Where roughly five kilos of grapes fill a bottle of standard Barsol Pisco, this one calls for about twice that. Italia is the name of the grape, not of a country. It is an aromatic table grape of French origin, listed among Peru's aromatic pisco varieties, and it already smells of flowers and ripe fruit before fermentation even starts.
Barsol is made at Bodega San Isidro in the Ica Valley south of Lima, where the distillery has worked for over a century. No pisco from this house goes near wood, and no water, colouring or flavouring is added.
Tasting notes
Nose
Complex and finely woven. Fresh grapes and green apple, semi-sweet citrus in the shape of orange, lemon and lime, with honey and rose petal underneath.
Palate
Tropical fruit with clear melon and pear, citrus laid across the top and golden raisins at the back. Rich without turning heavy, and the texture is close to silk.
Finish
Soft and refined. Everything holds together all the way out, and the floral notes stay put long after the last sip.
Specifications
Name: Barsol Pisco Mosto Verde Italia 70 cl 41.8%
Distillery: Bodega San Isidro
Region/Country: Ica Valley, Peru
Type: Peruvian Pisco Mosto Verde from the Italia grape
ABV: 41.8%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Single distilled in copper pot stills to bottle proof
EAN no.: 7750323000159
Serving suggestion: Neat in a tulip glass at room temperature
Flavour profile
Floral · Tropical fruit · Citrus · Silky · Aromatic
Did you know?
Barsol rests its pisco for at least twelve months before bottling, but never in wood. The rest happens in glass and stainless steel, precisely because Peruvian Pisco has to stay water-clear and taste of nothing but grape.
See our full range of Pisco
Listen to our podcast:
67,00
1pcs.
58,25EUR
Barsol Pisco Quebranta 70 cl 41.3%
Item no.: 059763-615-902
The Ica Valley sits wedged between the Pacific and the first ridges of the Andes, and almost no rain ever falls there. Sand, stone, sun. The vines stand anyway, year after year. Quebranta is the grape that learned to live with it.
The expert's description
Barsol Pisco Quebranta 70 cl 41.3% is a Peruvian Pisco Puro distilled from the Quebranta grape in copper pot stills and bottled at 41.3% straight off the still with no water added.
The bottle comes from Bodega San Isidro in southern Ica, a distillery with more than a century behind it. Barsol is the house's pisco label, and Quebranta is the foundation it rests on. The variety emerged in Peru when Spanish Negra Criolla vines had to make peace with stony ground and dry heat. The name carries the story: quebranta means tamed in Spanish.
Quebranta belongs to the non-aromatic pisco grapes. It does not throw flowers and perfume at you, it brings body, sugar and an earthy sort of fruit instead. That is exactly why Peruvians reach for it in a Pisco Sour, where lime juice and egg white otherwise run away with the whole show.
Pisco never sees wood. No water, sugar, colouring or flavouring may be added, and the spirit is bottled at whatever strength it leaves the copper still with. At Barsol it rests in glass and stainless steel before bottling, so everything in the bottle comes from the grape and the fermentation.
Tasting notes
Nose
Pear and red apple first, then freshly cut grass. Behind that sit dried fruit and something cake-like, fresh cream and a trace of cocoa, kept in line by fine citrus notes.
Palate
Ripe pear, red apple and red grapes with citrus laid across them. Then the nuts arrive: toasted almond, walnut and pecan, with dark chocolate and a grainy tone underneath. Dried apricot and ripe dark berries close it out.
Finish
Round and long. The fruit settles slowly, the nuts hang around, and the alcohol never burns.
Specifications
Name: Barsol Pisco Quebranta 70 cl 41.3%
Distillery: Bodega San Isidro
Region/Country: Ica Valley, Peru
Type: Peruvian Pisco Puro from the Quebranta grape
ABV: 41.3%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Single distilled in copper pot stills to bottle proof
EAN no.: 7750323000098
Serving suggestion: Pisco Sour or a Chilcano with ginger ale and lime
Flavour profile
Fruity · Nutty · Dry · Round · Earthy
Did you know?
It takes roughly five kilos of grapes to fill one bottle of Barsol Pisco. The juice is distilled once and arrives at bottle strength entirely on its own, which is why two bottles from the same house can easily carry different percentages.
See our full range of Pisco
Listen to our podcast:
53,50
1pcs.
46,50EUR
Barsol Pisco Selecto Torontel 70 cl 41,3%
Item no.: 22227865491-18805
Pour it, and the flowers are out of the glass before you have picked it up. Jasmine, lilac, citrus blossom. Torontel is the loudest grape in Peru, and not a single drop of flavouring was added to make it that way.
The expert's description
Barsol Pisco Selecto Torontel 70 cl 41.3% is a Peruvian Pisco Puro distilled from the aromatic Torontel grape in copper pot stills and bottled at 41.3% with no water added.
Torontel is a relative of Argentina's Torrontés with roots in northern Spain, where it yields crisp white wines that smell somewhere between Muscat and Gewürztraminer. Peru adopted it long ago, and beyond wine a large share of the harvest ends up in pisco. Selecto is Barsol's designation for the house's single-variety bottlings, where the entire flavour rests on one grape alone.
Because Barsol works to the Peruvian rulebook, the flowers come from the grape and nowhere else. No aroma, sugar, colouring or water may be added, and there is no cask to lay vanilla and spice over the top. The spirit leaves the copper still at 41.3% and is bottled exactly like that.
Bodega San Isidro sits in the Ica Valley south of Lima, where coastal fog and cold nights leave the grapes with enough acidity to carry their aroma through the whole process. That acidity is what keeps this bottle light rather than perfumed and heavy.
Tasting notes
Nose
White and purple flowers, jasmine and lilac, with citrus blossom and lemongrass behind them. A trace of meyer lemon and a dark berry tone right at the bottom.
Palate
Light peach and apricot, lemon and dark berries, soft black raisins. Then a streak of liquorice turns up alongside lavender and a mischievous touch of white pepper.
Finish
Velvety and light. The flowers linger longest, and there are no sharp edges at the close.
Specifications
Name: Barsol Pisco Selecto Torontel 70 cl 41.3%
Distillery: Bodega San Isidro
Region/Country: Ica Valley, Peru
Type: Peruvian Pisco Puro from the Torontel grape
ABV: 41.3%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Single distilled in copper pot stills to bottle proof
EAN no.: 7750323000128
Serving suggestion: Neat in a tulip glass or in a Chilcano with ginger ale
Flavour profile
Floral · Stone fruit · Citrus · Velvety · Aromatic
Did you know?
Peru approves only eight grape varieties for Pisco. Four count as aromatic, namely Torontel, Italia, Moscatel and Albilla, and four as non-aromatic, with Quebranta the most widely planted. Torontel is the one most often mistaken for perfume on a first sniff.
See our full range of Pisco
Listen to our podcast:
67,00
1pcs.
58,25EUR
Demonio de Los Andes Acholado Pisco 70 cl 40%
Item no.: 22227865491-18802
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.
See our full range of Pisco
Listen to our podcast:
40,00
1pcs.
34,75EUR
Demonio de Los Andes Albilla Pisco 70 cl 40%
Item no.: 22227865491-18803
Most people never meet Albilla on its own. The grape almost always ends up in a blend, laying softness underneath the louder varieties. Here it stands alone, which is a rare chance to hear what it actually has to say.
The expert's description
Demonio de Los Andes Albilla Pisco 70 cl 40% is a Peruvian Pisco Puro distilled from the Albilla grape in copper pot stills and bottled at 40% with no water added.
Albilla is one of the eight grape varieties Peru permits for Pisco and belongs to the aromatic half, though it is the most restrained of them. Where Italia and Torontel shout flowers and perfume, Albilla works quietly with tropical fruit and a soft, almost creamy texture. It usually turns up as part of an acholado, which is exactly why a pure Albilla is such an unusual sight on a shelf.
The fruit comes from Viña Tacama in the Ica Valley, where the vines stand in sandy soil under cold nights and almost no rainfall. Distillation runs through copper in the Peruvian tradition, and the spirit reaches bottling strength straight off the still.
There is no cask involved, and no water, sugar or colouring is added. That leaves the character of the grape standing bare in the glass with nothing to hide behind, and that is precisely what makes a single-variety pisco like this one worth opening.
Tasting notes
Nose
Pineapple and ripe banana, with lime peel across the top and fine white flowers underneath. Calm and sweet-scented without turning heavy.
Palate
Tropical fruit the whole way. Pineapple and banana again, a soft bite of lime and a trace of almond. The texture is mild and slightly creamy.
Finish
Gentle and clean. The fruit lets go slowly and there is no sting at the end.
Specifications
Name: Demonio de Los Andes Albilla Pisco 70 cl 40%
Distillery: Viña Tacama
Region/Country: Ica Valley, Peru
Type: Peruvian Pisco Puro from the Albilla grape
ABV: 40%
Size: 70 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Single distilled in copper pot stills to bottle proof
EAN no.: 7750359000079
Serving suggestion: Neat in a tulip glass at room temperature
Flavour profile
Tropical fruit · Soft · Mild · Floral · Creamy
Did you know?
Viña Tacama traces its vines back to the 1540s, when the first cuttings were planted in the Ica Valley. That makes the estate the oldest vineyard in South America still in production.
See our full range of Pisco
Listen to our podcast:
40,00
1pcs.
34,75EUR
Demonio de Los Andes Mosto Verde Italia Pisco Gran Demonio 50 cl 44%
Item no.: 222222548863-666
Forty-four percent, and nobody adjusted it afterwards. Pisco leaves the copper still at whatever strength it happens to reach, and that is the strength that goes into the bottle. Gran Demonio lands higher than most, and the distiller's cut decides it, not a splash of water.
The expert's description
Demonio de Los Andes Mosto Verde Italia Pisco Gran Demonio 50 cl 44% is a Peruvian Pisco Mosto Verde distilled from the Italia grape in copper pot stills and bottled at 44% with no water added.
Gran Demonio is Viña Tacama's Mosto Verde range, bottled in 50 cl. Mosto Verde means green must and refers to a fermentation cut short while sugar is still present. The still therefore runs not on finished wine but on a must that still tastes of grape juice, and that demands far more fruit per bottle because the yield drops.
Italia is the name of the grape and does not refer to a country, however large it sits on the label. It is an aromatic variety, and it is the reason this bottle smells of flowers and ripe fruit rather than grain and spice. The grapes grow on Viña Tacama's own land in the Ica Valley south of Lima.
Pisco never goes into a cask, and no water, sugar, colouring or flavouring is added. The high strength carries the aroma unusually far, which is exactly why this release belongs in a glass of its own rather than in a shaker.
Tasting notes
Nose
Floral and intense. Orange blossom and jasmine first, then ripe pear and melon, with a thread of honey underneath.
Palate
Full and oily in texture. Ripe fruit throughout, sweet in impression without being sweet, with citrus peel and a warm alcoholic edge holding it all up.
Finish
Long and warm. The flowers withdraw slowly and the fruit stays longest.
Specifications
Name: Demonio de Los Andes Mosto Verde Italia Pisco Gran Demonio 50 cl 44%
Distillery: Viña Tacama
Region/Country: Ica Valley, Peru
Type: Peruvian Pisco Mosto Verde from the Italia grape
ABV: 44%
Size: 50 CL
Natural colour: Yes
Distillation method: Single distilled in copper pot stills to bottle proof
EAN no.: 7750359000451
Serving suggestion: Neat in a tulip glass at room temperature
Flavour profile
Floral · Ripe fruit · Full-bodied · Aromatic · Powerful
Did you know?
Viña Tacama has belonged to the Olaechea family since 1889, and the estate has drawn on French help in the cellar for many years. The best known of those advisers was the Bordeaux oenologist Émile Peynaud, who worked with the house over a long stretch.
See our full range of Pisco
Listen to our podcast:
53,50
1pcs.
46,50EUR
Demonio de Los Andes Quebranta Pisco 70 cl 40%
Item no.: 22227865491-18804
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.
See our full range of Pisco
Listen to our podcast:
40,00
1pcs.
34,75EUR

Pisco - South American Brandy

The expert's description

Tasting notes

Nose

Palate

Finish

Specifications

Flavour profile

Did you know?

The expert's description

Tasting notes

Nose

Palate

Finish

Specifications

Flavour profile

Did you know?

The expert's description

Tasting notes

Nose

Palate

Finish

Specifications

Flavour profile

Did you know?

The expert's description

Tasting notes

Nose

Palate

Finish

Specifications

Flavour profile

Did you know?

The expert's description

Tasting notes

Nose

Palate

Finish

Specifications

Flavour profile

Did you know?

The expert's description

Tasting notes

Nose

Palate

Finish

Specifications

Flavour profile

Did you know?

The expert's description

Tasting notes

Nose

Palate

Finish

Specifications

Flavour profile

Did you know?