Peru's typical distillate is Pisco, a spirit made from Spanish grapes imported during the 16th century, when armies conquered much of South America. The Spanish planted the first vines in the countryside around Lima, and the oldest Peruvian wines date back to 1551.
Wine soon became an important product in Peru, and Spanish King Philip IV banned its import into Spain to protect its producers, since Peruvian wine was much cheaper than Spanish wine.
Perù and Chile
Globalization was striking even 500 years ago, in short, and the solution was what is used even today, protectionism. And so, since they could no longer make wine, Peruvian producers, naturally of Spanish origin like the grapes, began to produce grape brandy, aguardiente, which was initially used almost only to fortify wines. Thus was born the distillate known as Pisco, named after a town in southwestern Peru from where ships departed for Europe. The name of the town probably comes from a word in the Quetchua language referring to a bird typical of the local fauna. The first reference is found in a customs document from 1764 that reported a large number of crates of this Peruvian aguardiente.
But in the end it was a spirit, so why did it become so famous at the time? So, the grape came from the southern coast of Peru, and was called Quebranta from the Spanish word quebrar, which means to break. In fact, the soil where this grape grew is particularly arid and must literally be broken, split, in order to be processed. The area of origin of Peruvian Pisco ranges from 0 to 2,000 meters above sea level, basically the entire slope of the Andes that descends to the Pacific Ocean. The melting snows provide a lot of water especially on the coast where there is very little rainfall, and in short a very special microclimate. Pisco, however, in the modern day has a kind of identity crisis. In Europe and the United States it is found in Peruvian establishments, but Chile also produces Pisco and Chileans say their country is the home of this distillate.
The Chilean Pisco Denomination of Origin (DO) dates back to 1931, a presidential decree established that the term "Pisco" was reserved exclusively for grape distillates produced in the departments of Copiapó, Huasco, La Serena, Elqui and Ovalle. In 1936 the village of La Union, north of Santiago, was renamed Pisco Elqui, precisely to strengthen Chile's claim to this distillate. A bit like the Prosecco business, in short.
Two different spirits, same name
The Peruvian Pisco name, on the other hand, was created in 1991, and so now there is a legal dispute over the ownership claim.
But, Chilean Pisco and Peruvian one are very different each other. In Chile they use only Moscato grapes and those ones they call ‘creole’, a mix of Moscatoes. So in Chile they use only aromathic grapes planted along the hispanic colonization, imported by Argentina. After Chile became indipendent from Spain, Chilean people took all hispanic grapes away, with the will to delete every hispanic trace from their countrysides. In Chilean people opinion, only their Pisco is the original South American one, because the Peruvian Pisco is made only with 20% of aromatic grapes.
Also, in Perù they can have up to two vintage in a year, ‘cause tropical climate, whereas in Chile weather is similar than mediterranean one. The two way of distillation are different, as well: in Perù they use the final end of distillation, in Chile they use a technical similar than cognac. In Chile they classifies for the alcohol quantity, in Perù doesn’t.
Story and Geography
According Perùvian people, these differences are enough to identify two very different products, and che Pisco product in Chile shouldn’t be called Pisco but Chilean brandy.
The word Pisco has origin from the Incas empire, XII-XIV century, and is a word in Quechua language, spoken from Ecuador to South of Chile. And here is where story mix itself with aguardiente. Before the arrival of Spanish, Chile and Perù become to Incas Empire and when Spain destroyed it they maintained the bureaucratic and administrative structure. The hispanic crown divided the country, separating the peoples and erasing their shared culture.
The reason because Peruvian Pisco is best known in the international market is thanks export. The domestic consumption of this spirit is relatively low in Perù, but export is very high. USA represent the greater market, and in the opposite, only 3% of Chilean Pisco is drunk abroad.
A Peruvian cocktail since 1913
Neither Perù not Chile want to grand the Pisco name to other country, by tradition, natiional pride and, of course, marketing. So if you have been drinking some Pisco, likely it’s from Perù, unless you’re in Chile.
The most known cocktail produced with this spirit is the Pisco sour, a mix of Pisco, sugar, lime and egg white, born from an idea of American bartender Victor Morris. According to legend, he prepared it as an alternative to the more famous whiskey sour in a Peruvian bar around 1913. One of the characteristics of this cocktail is the presence of egg white, which creates a delicate froth on the surface; a few drops of angostura or a sprinkling of cinnamon are then added.