Pisco power

The South American grape brandy is garnering a new legion of fans worldwide on the back of a slew of  restaurant openings. Hamish Smith reports on the trend

Two years ago, just as Drinks International’s last Pisco report was going to press, a Peruvian man called Martin Morales was opening his first London restaurant, Ceviche.  

The hipsters weren’t to know it yet, but Peruvian food was about to become London’s next foodie fetish. Soon the capital’s pilgrims-of-trend would be saying “so long” to their Vietnamese Pho and Saigon, “hello” to Peruvian ceviche and Pisco. 

Now, London has built a bevy of establishments serving up top Peruvian nosh and slosh. Almost coming from nowhere, this has been a major boon for Peruvian Pisco exports, which up to now have been mainly concentrated in the US. 

With Lima registering two listings in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and exporting chefs to the likes of Dubai, Hong Kong and London, this gastronomic movement is going global.  

In New York there would be a Little Peru, if the dozen or so restaurants had organised their uprising a little closer together, while San Francisco has long harboured a hankering for Peruvian fare – ever since a peculiar spirit from the port town of Pisco arrived at the dock of the bay in the 19th century. 

San Fransiscans didn’t waste any time in creating their Pisco Punch, a local favourite to this day.

Inseparable partner

So what does this mean for producers? Well, sales. Unlike some cuisines where the accompanying drink is an incidental bystander, Pisco is an inseparable partner to Peruvian food. 

At Ceviche in London support for the national spirit is clear. It doesn’t serve a mixed drink unless it contains Pisco. “People ask for a gin and tonic and we have to say: ‘no only Pisco’ – it was a risky move,” admits bar manager Miguel Arbe. 

With slivers of citrus-cured fish, salads and grilled meats decorating the tables, you could imagine Ceviche’s diners looking longingly to the wine menu, but not so. “We are selling more cocktails than wine,” reports Arbe. 

Over at London’s Michelin-starred Lima (pictured) – which will open a second restaurant in July, Pisco cocktails are a cornerstone of the offering. “The Pisco Sour combines perfectly with Peruvian dishes that contain lime juice,” says Damian Barbato, bar supervisor at Lima. 

“But Pisco works with almost all flavours, including any kind of fruit or spice. It’s also great for making infusions, of which we have 20, using exotic fruits and herbs from Peru. Pisco is becoming very popular among Europeans and this is not only because of the cuisine. It is also about the combination of freshness and simplicity in Pisco cocktails.”

Pisco is garnering the right kind of interest. Quality not quantity is Peruvian Pisco’s strong suit. In fact, volumes are small (less than 1 million 9-litre cases (outnumbered 7:1 by Chile’s production) and production standards are exacting. 

The 300 or so producers work within a geographically defined area and are permitted to use eight varieties of grape. Distillation is a single event and must be to proof – so no water is added. The spirit cannot be aged in wood. Essentially producers get one crack at producing a palatable spirit.

Some fail but those who seek international recognition tend to produce refined spirits and position themselves at the super-premium end of the market. 

Right now the main exports markets are US and Chile, though Spain, Colombia, Japan and Germany take a small share of the wares. In Chile, Peruvian Pisco is not classified as Pisco (and vice versa) but the popularity of Peruvian food has even found Peruvian Pisco a place behind – in Pisco terms - enemy lines. 

With the gastronomic spotlight on Peru and a classic cocktail culture looking beyond just the Pisco Punch, the likes of London and Paris are really opening up.  

“We are very happy that we have launched in London,” says Johnny Schuler of Pisco Portón, which is to be distributed by Mangrove UK. 

“We are sending our first container to France and in April we are going to sign an agreement with a distributor in Spain. In Europe they are a little behind the US. But the cocktail cities of the world – Paris, London, Moscow, Dubai, Tokyo – are starting to discover this new spirit that is much more complex than vodka and is more interesting than Tequila.”

Educating consumers

Schuler says educating consumers happens in two phases. Stage one is to seed the market with a blended Pisco and, if there is interest, then mono-varietal Pisco can be unleashed. Portón is now available in 34 states and is established enough, says Schuler, for the arrival of its first container of mono-varietal.

Macchu Pisco is another high-end Pisco on a similar trail. It is re-entering the UK in June, after seven years of absence. “Cocktail culture has picked up and now we are able to go more mainstream with Macchu Pisco,” says Melanie Asher, CEO and distiller of the family of brands.

“Pisco is becoming more democratised. Now it is growing so much in the UK it’s ahead of the US in terms of adoption.” 

The brand family – which also includes the blend La Diablada and Musta, a sipping Pisco made in the Mosto Verde style (with partially fermented grapes) – is sold to the US, France, South Korea, New Zealand and Hong Kong. 

Asher says she is seeing not only more Pisco Punch in her export markets but also Chilcanos – a traditional mix of Pisco, lime juice, ginger ale and bitters which is popular in Peru.  

Both Asher and Schuler argue that Peruvian Pisco is one of the great spirits of the world – a luxury product that is up there with Cognac but has just lacked the right exposure.  

Classic cocktail culture’s expansion will help but perhaps it is the longevity of Peru’s gastronomic trend on which the fortunes of Pisco hinge. If Peru’s cuisine goes from on-trend to entrenched, Peruvian Pisco will be on hand and in-restaurant to benefit. 

Chilean Pisco

Head south of Peru’s border and the Pisco takes on a different form. In fact the only thing that is consistent is the name and the source of alcohol – grapes. 

“Chilean Piscos are fruitier and lighter and Peruvians are more complex and heavier,” Capel’s export director Javier Marcos says. “Chilean Pisco is lighter due to the type of still used, while Peruvian varieties are heavier as they are made out of colas, which is their trademark. Chilean Pisco is aimed at making long drinks, while Peruvian Pisco is more used as a before-dinner cocktail.” 

While Peru’s production is heavily regulated, Chilean producers can be flexible.  Here Pisco can be transparent or yellow-tinged from American or French barrel ageing and will have certainly undergone at least two distillations, normally by column still. 

It would be easy to say this flexibility has helped Chilean Pisco’s international expansion but, in truth, it is because the Chileans have been more outward looking. Unlike Peruvian, Chilean Pisco is something of a journeyman and can be found in around 40 international markets. 

Wine ambassador

While Peru has its food, Chile has its wine. “The international success of Peruvian cuisine can help Peruvian Pisco to be successful, but we have Chilean wine as a recognised ambassador in the entire world, and this has pushed many consumers to try Chilean Pisco, which is a distillation of Chilean wine,” says Marcos.

The powerhouses of CCU (Compañia Cervecerias Unidas) – a large brewery and beverage company – and Capel represent about 90% of the production in Chile. While Capel claims to be the largest Pisco producer in the world and through its brands – such as Alto del Carmen, Capel, Cochiguaz Artisan, Monte Fraile and Limari – with sales of 1 million 9-litre cases in 2013. 

According to Capel, exports are important to the brand. “We are doing well and we believe the international market will wake up sooner rather than later,” says Marcos. “We don’t have a huge marketing budget, but we know that consumers who try our products are our best publicity, as they recommend it to their friends. 

“We expect to continue growing, although it is difficult to say where we will grow the most. We think Europe and the US will continue to demand a lot of Pisco but South America and Asia are also growing at important rates. There is much interest worldwide and this is because people are looking for new products. They are bored of drinking always the same thing and Pisco offers new flavours and experiences.”

Because there are two major Pisco companies, most grape growers act as suppliers. “In Chile there are more than 2,500 small grape growers located in the Atacama and Coquimbo regions, just bordering the Atacama Desert, with an average of 5ha,” says Norman Dabner of Pisco Waqar. “Ninety nine per cent are associated with the two largest cooperatives, Capel and Control.”

Dabner has gone it alone with Pisco Waqar and reports sales of his 100% Muscat Pisco, which is made to an old family recipe, are going well. “We are growing in the US, France, UK and Australia and this year we’ll be starting in Italy, Germany and Colombia. We are finding bartenders are a little bored with vodkas and gin and they are asking for spirits such as Tequila, Mezcal, cachaça [and Pisco]. We expect the market to grow double digits in the next five years.

Back at home the domestic market of five million cases is very competitive.  “We are continuously innovating and improving in order to be more competitive and deliver world-class products,” says Marcos. “We are now focusing on higher value-added products from selected grapes and different processes that result in high-end products, which definitely will be welcomed by the international market.”

Legislative changes

As president Michelle Bachelet is settling into her second term, rumours abound of legislative changes that could affect the alcoholic beverages industry. 

“Pisco is part of our daily life and Chileans will continue celebrating with Capel or Alto del Carmen in spite of any tax increase,” says Marcos. “But in a scenario of potential tax increases in Chile, consumers may drink a little less, which strengthens our ambition of conquering international markets.”

For the first time though, Chilean Pisco must now be looking at Peruvian Pisco as a serious competitor in international markets. For a category that is split to its very core, we might expect fireworks. But here’s Capel’s Marcos with some unifying words – a rare thing indeed in the world of Pisco. “Today, efforts should focus on raising awareness of the Pisco category worldwide and the next step will be positioning brands. Consumers will have the last word regarding which Pisco they will prefer.” 

Bravo to that.