What is pisco?

In Chile, Pisco is the Designation of Origin given to a wine spirit made of aromatic grapes, grown and processed in the regions of Atacama and Coquimbo. It is the World’s second-oldest Designation of Origin, and the first in the American Continent.

Pisco is the proud guardian of a history on the verge of turning 300 year old. Born at the foot of the Atacama Desert, bundled by the ever-present sun and raised under the reflection of the World’s clearest skies, Pisco is the ambassador of Atacama and Coquimbo regions’ inhabitants, their character, patience, and taste for perfection.

Pisco is a colorless or amber-colored spirit, made by distilling grape wine into a high-proof spirit. The grapes are fermented (which technically makes pisco part of the brandy family), and then taken through a distillation process before bottling.

Due to Chilean Pisco regulations, distillers are allowed more influence over their final product: they may run the spirit through multiple distillations or barrel age. Varieties range from mildly to highly aromatic, from abundant wood aromas to none, giving sophisticated consumers something to suit every taste. It can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks, or combined with broad range of soft drinks, fruits, and other liquors.

Pisco is produced in the northern region of Chile, an area of great contrast between mountain deserts and fertile valleys. The area is described as a sub-desert climate and unique due to its strong Pacific influence with minimal cloud coverage and no rainfall nine to ten months out of the year, resulting in 300 days of sunshine and the clearest skies in the southern hemisphere.

Pisco, which can be traced back to 16th-century Spanish settlers, can now be found in top restaurants cocktail menus, and retail stores throughout the World.

This fine spirit is the outcome of the hard work of over 2,800 Pisco grape farmers from the only two regions in Chile where Pisco can be produced, according to its Designation of Origin, the first in The Americas and second in the World.

By history and tradition, pisco is a typical Chilean product, heir our history and culture.