BarSol Pisco Selecto Italia

BarSol Pisco is one of the best-known Peruvian pisco brands, and this Selecto Italia a fine example from their wide range of piscos.

Pisco isn’t a spirit I’ve had chance to try very often, though I love a pisco sour cocktail. I was therefore delighted when the BBC Good Food website invited me to track down as many piscos that were available in the UK as I could, and choose my top ones. You can read my choice of the best UK piscos here.

I was restricted to choosing four, which was a very hard thing to do. One that didn’t quite make the list was this BarSol Pisco Selecto Italia, but that was only because another BarSol pisco, their BarSol Selecto Acholado pisco, just edged it out and we didn’t want to have two piscos from the same producer in the short list of four.

What is Pisco?

Pisco is a brandy distilled from fermented grape juice in Peru and Chile. When Spanish missionaries first explored South America in the 16th century, they took a supply of Spanish brandy with them. Once they had planted vines, they decided it would be easier and cheaper to make their own, and so pisco was born. Because the technique and the local grapes were different from Spain, pisco developed a distinctive character.

By the 18th century this spirit was being exported back to Spain through the Peruvian port of Pisco. It was known first as Aguardiente de Pisco, which later got shortened to simply pisco. There are other theories on where the name came from but this is the simplest and most likely version.

Peru and Chile both naturally claim that the drink originated in their country, and both have slightly different regulations governing its production, but the average outsider would be hard-pushed to tell them apart.

Pisco is made from Italia grapes or grapes from the Muscat family, which has over 200 different varieties, so piscos can be as varied as any other spirit. Some piscos start at a fairly low 30% ABV alcohol content, though most are typically in the 40-43% ABV range.

What are BarSol Piscos?

BarSol is a brand name for the piscos produced by the Bodega San Isidro distillery in the small town of Jumilla, which is in the Valley of Ica in Peru. The bodega has been making pisco since at least the 1800s, and has won many awards for its piscos.

BarSol Pisco Selecto Italia

This BarSol Pisco Selecto Italia is made from Italia grapes and bottled at 41.3% ABV. On the nose it’s very floral, with hints of hay, honey sweetness, and it reminded me of a sunny day in the countryside – that’s how fresh the aroma is. All of those scents come through on the palate as well, especially the honey, and there’s a touch of pineapple and other tropical fruits. All in all, it’s a delightful and smooth pisco, with a pleasing sweet/floral finish.