Spirits

Pisco

Pisco is a grape brandy made in Peru and Chile, usually unaged and about 40% ABV, and the UK protects the name for both countries. Peruvian pisco is distilled once to bottling strength and never meets wood or added water; Chilean pisco may be diluted and aged in oak. Our Pisco Sour and Pisco Punch are built on its floral grape scent.

Quick Facts

ABV40% ABVPeruvian pisco: 38 to 48% by PromPerú’s account; Chilean pisco: 30% and up under Decreto 521.

Legal categorySpiritProtected on the GB register on GOV.UK for both Peru and Chile

OriginPeru and Chile (each protects the name)

Flavour Strengthstrong

Our keeping timeIndefinitely unopened. Once opened, years if kept sealed and upright out of the light, though the aroma fades slowly.

Storage

Sealed and upright, like any spirit.

Allergens

None of the 14 listed allergens.

The ingredient

About Pisco

Flavour Profile

Primary Flavours

Muscat BlossomGrapeBright

Tasting Notes

Fresh grape and blossom over a clean spirit spine: brandy in its unaged spring, perfume where oak would be.

Two countries make it under two sets of rules

Pisco is a grape brandy, usually unaged, from the Pacific coast of South America. Both Peru and Chile make it, both call it a national spirit, and each protects the name under its own rules. Britain registers the name for both, through separate trade agreements, so a bottle from either country is pisco here. The two rulebooks differ in more than detail.

Peruvian and Chilean pisco rules: Peru’s from PromPerú, the state export and tourism promotion agency, and Chile’s from Decreto 521.

Where

Peru: Five coastal regions, including Lima and Ica
Chile: Atacama and Coquimbo

Grapes

Peru: Eight: Quebranta, Mollar, Uvina, Negra Criolla; aromatic Italia, Moscatel, Torontel, Albilla
Chile: Set by Chilean rules

Strength

Peru: 38 to 48%, reached in the still
Chile: From 30%; classes up to gran pisco at 43% and over

Wood

Peru: Rested at least three months in inert vessels; bottled colourless
Chile: 180 days in wood earns guarda

Rule	Peru	Chile
Where	Five coastal regions, including Lima and Ica	Atacama and Coquimbo
Grapes	Eight: Quebranta, Mollar, Uvina, Negra Criolla; aromatic Italia, Moscatel, Torontel, Albilla	Set by Chilean rules
Strength	38 to 48%, reached in the still	From 30%; classes up to gran pisco at 43% and over
Wood	Rested at least three months in inert vessels; bottled colourless	180 days in wood earns guarda

The grape decides the scent

Peru’s four non-aromatic grapes, led by Quebranta, give a less perfumed spirit; the four aromatic ones, Italia, Moscatel, Torontel and Albilla, give a floral one. A puro uses one variety, an acholado mixes several, and mosto verde is distilled from wine before fermentation has finished. Because Peruvian pisco is never cut with water, the distiller has to stop the still at the strength the bottle will carry.

Our two pisco drinks are built on that scent

The Pisco Sour shakes 60ml with lemon, sugar and egg white and finishes with Angostura dotted on the foam. The Pisco Punch pairs the same measure with pineapple and a clove-scented syrup and tops it with white wine. Neither uses oak, so an aged brandy turns them heavier and darker.

Using it

Using Pisco

Usage

Both of our pisco drinks take 60ml: shaken with lemon, sugar and egg white for a Pisco Sour, and with pineapple, lemon and clove syrup, topped with white wine, for a Pisco Punch. Use an unaged bottle; oak covers the scent both drinks are built around.

Pro Tip

Shake a Pisco Sour without ice first. The dry shake builds the foam, a second shake with ice brings it down to temperature, and the Angostura drops land last, so they scent the foam instead of colouring it.

Top Tips

Peruvian labels name a style: puro for one grape, acholado for several, mosto verde for wine distilled before fermentation finished.
For a Pisco Sour, quebranta or acholado is the usual choice; an aromatic Italia makes a more floral drink.
Chilean labels give a strength class: especial, reservado or gran pisco, rising from 35% to 43% under Decreto 521.
Keep it capped between uses; the scent is the part that fades.

Possible Substitutions

Grappa: Another unaged grape spirit, made from skins rather than wine: sharper, so use a soft white one
White Rum: Keeps the structure of a sour but loses the grape

Production Method

Peru, by PromPerú’s account: fresh-fermented must of eight pisco grapes, aromatic and non-aromatic, distilled once in a direct, batch distillation, the heart taken at 38 to 48%, rested at least three months in inert vessels, with no other ingredient. Chile, under Decreto 521: wine from set grape varieties in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions, with storage in wood allowed.

Go further

More to explore

Common Questions

What is pisco?

A grape brandy made in Peru and Chile, usually clear and unaged. Grape wine is distilled and, in Peru, bottled at the strength it leaves the still, with nothing added. It goes into the Pisco Sour and the Pisco Punch, where its floral grape scent carries through citrus and egg white.

Is pisco Peruvian or Chilean?

Both countries make it and both claim it, and the argument over where it began is a long one. UK law takes no side: the GB register on GOV.UK lists Pisco as a protected name for Peru and, separately, for Chile. Their rules differ, so the country of origin also says how the spirit was made.

What is the difference between Peruvian and Chilean pisco?

By PromPerú’s account, Peruvian pisco is distilled once, from eight pisco grapes, with no ingredient but the fermented must, and rested in inert vessels. Chile’s Decreto 521 lets a pisco kept 180 days in wood carry the word guarda, and allows lower strengths, from 30% ABV.

How strong is pisco?

Typically about 40% ABV, which is what our units assume: a Pisco Sour’s 60ml is 2.4 UK units. Peruvian pisco can run from 38 to 48%, set by where the distiller stops the still, and Chilean pisco starts lower, at 30%.

Which pisco should I use for a Pisco Sour?

Our recipe names a Peruvian quebranta or acholado, about 40%, which is the common pick. Quebranta is one of the non-aromatic grapes and gives body without much perfume; an acholado adds some aromatic grape. A puro from Italia or Torontel makes a more floral sour.

Is pisco aged?

Peruvian pisco never is: PromPerú says it rests at least three months in inert vessels and is bottled colourless. Some Chilean pisco is aged in wood and may be golden as a result. Unaged pisco keeps the fresh grape scent that oak would cover.

What can I use instead of pisco?

Another unaged grape spirit is the nearest: a soft white grappa keeps the grape, though it is made from skins rather than wine and is sharper. An oaked brandy gives a heavier, darker drink. White rum keeps the structure of a Pisco Sour but loses the grape altogether.

Sources.

Correct as of 16 October 2026.

GOV.UK, “Pisco (Peru): protected spirit drink name”.
GOV.UK, “Pisco (Chile): protected spirit drink name”.
PromPerú, “Pisco: destilando pasión” (Peru’s state export and tourism promotion agency; a summary of the denomination of origin rules, not the regulation itself).
Servicio Agrícola y Ganadero (Chile), “Decreto N° 521, Reglamento de la Denominación de Origen Pisco”.

Make something

Made with Pisco

Featured In These Cocktails

Pisco Punch Pisco Sour

Often Used With

Updated 16 October 2026

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