Pisco Wars - Chile vs Peru

Chile and Peru have long argued about the real birthplace of the Latino grape brandy known as Pisco - and the famous cocktail, Pisco Sour. Both countries lay claims and both have their own "national day" for Pisco. The feud is very much alive and kicking.

Back in the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the territories now known as Peru and Chile were two distinct parts of the Spanish viceroyalty of Peru, administered from Lima.

The first vines were planted around Lima in the 1540s and soon after that in the Pisco, Ica and Nazca regions some 200 kilometres further south. 

Vines were planted in what is now Chilean territory a little later, and by the late 1500s large quantities of good wine from both regions had become so popular that the Spanish crown started to tax, restrict and eventually ban wine production, as it was impacting exports from Spain. 

Wine for communion was still permitted, but to avoid the bans, the locals started to distil the wine into an aguardiente ("firewater") spirit. And that is where the argument really stems from… which country first called this spirit “Pisco”… and which country deserves the prized “appellation of origin”?

Peru had always claimed rights to the name with the use of the word pisco to denote Peruvian aguardiente dating from 1764. The spirit supposedly takes its name from the Peruvian port town of Pisco, from where "Aguardiente de Pisco" was exported to Spain, where the name was abbreviated to "Pisco".

However, more recent research from 2016, finds the word “Pisco” in a document from the National Archive in Santiago dating back from 1733. Written by a Spanish official, Pisco is mentioned as a drink made near the (Chilean) town of Pisco in the Elqui Valley. This, they claim, is some 30 years before the word “Pisco” appeared in Peru.

Chile also claims that the liquor was sold for the first time commercially under the name “Pisco” in 1882, while Peru only  registered the brand in the early 20th century. 

The European Commission considers Pisco to originate from Peru, but also allows products from Chile to be called Pisco. Most other countries accept products from both Chile and Peru to be labelled as Pisco. 

But between Chile and Peru things are not so easy: What’s sold as Pisco in Peru cannot be sold as such in Chile, and vice versa. If the Peruvian spirit makes its way to Chile, it comes labelled as the significantly less impressive “distilled grape alcohol” (aguardiente or destilado de uva) because Peru does not meet Chile's “Denominación de Origen” requirements. 

On the other hand, if you could even buy Chilean pisco in Peru (it’s illegal to import it), the process by which it’s made wouldn’t fit the strict requirements that Peru has about its production.

Different processes, different styles and tastes…

In both countries, Pisco can only be made from certain “heritage” grape varieties that were introduced by the Spanish conquistadors in the 16th century, along with their descendent varieties, known as “the criollas”. But even then, the names of the grape varieties are different in the two countries and Peru is unique in being the only country with the Quebranta variety (which is widely used in Pisco production). 

Peruvian Pisco originates from vineyards in coastal regions (mainly near Pisco and Ica). In Chile, the grapes come from higher altitude vineyards in the north of the country,  mainly the Elqui and Limari valleys.

The methods of production are also quite different. Peru takes a very strict approach: the spirit must be single-distilled in traditional copper pot stills and the alcohol must be within a very specific range and bottled immediately. Chile takes a much more flexible approach, allowing double or triple distillation in copper or stainless steel, and subsequent dilution with water is permitted. Peruvian Pisco will always be clear in colour, but Chilean Pisco can be aged in oak barrels, which means it may take on a golden hue.

A ‘sour’ debate

Apart from the rivalry over the spirit itself, the famous cocktail, Pisco Sour, is also a source of some conflict. Whilst various cocktails using Pisco were being made for decades earlier, it is generally acknowledged that  American bartender Victor Vaughen Morris first concocted and popularised the cocktail as a variant of the Whisky Sour in Morris's Bar in Lima, Peru during the early 1920s.

But Chileans are insistent that the cocktail was invented in their country – with some claiming it’s from the town of Iquique.

The traditional Peruvian Pisco Sour recipe includes Peruvian Pisco, lime juice, simple syrup, egg white, ice and Angostura bitters. Meanwhile, in Chile, the drink is prepared similarly, but using Chilean Pisco, pica lime and without the bitters and egg white.

The Verdict?

At Paladar we are really not concerned about which country invented Pisco. Rather than arguing, the two nations should both be rejoicing over the creation of this delicious spirit and the cocktails based on it.

We admire the pure “artisanal” regulations surrounding production of Pisco in Peru - but equally we love the more flexible approach of the Chileans, which allows it to be aged in barrels, adding a whole new dimension to the flavour and style.

We think that Peruvian Quebranta is generally best for making a great Peruvian Pisco Sour, but that for sipping, you can't beat a top quality barrel-aged Chilean Pisco.

Rather than fighting over it, let's just raise a glass and say ‘Salud‘ in Pisco’s honour!