Pisco 1615 de Gran Terruño Review

A beautifully flavoursome pisco brimming with citrus, sweet and sour, almonds and other tastes and aromas.

1615 is a range of piscos made by the Bodega San Nicolás vineyard and distillery. The name is a nod to the year when the first recorded mention of grapes existing in Peru was made, and the bodega is harvesting the same vineyard that Spanish Jesuit missionaries planted in the 17th century, just a few miles outside the port of Pisco itself.

All their piscos use only quebranta grapes and obviously adhere to Peru’s strict pisco production regulations. No additives are made, not even water. The distilled spirit leaves the still at 42% ABV and resting it reduces the alcohol to the 40% at which it is bottled. It’s remarkable, given that all their piscos are made the same way, that 1615 achieves such varied results, with their Gran Terruño (‘Great Terroir’) being one of their superior spirits.

Pisco 1615 de Gran Terruño Review

It’s easy to tell its pedigree from the first aromas that rise from this crystal clear pisco. It’s a lovely gently fragrant mix of citrus and straw for freshness, of sweet and sour notes too, a certain vegetal smell, the presence of the grapes, and an almond nuttiness as well. It’s definitely a heady scent.

On the palate it’s equally complex and delightful. It has a warming, smooth and gentle mouth-feel, while all those flavours and more emerge: vanilla, lemon, almonds again, grapes, and that curious taste reminiscent of a sweet and sour sauce. This is one classy pisco.

The Perfect Cocktail

While this is definitely a pisco to enjoy sipping neat, the makers also recommend it for the perfect Peruvian Pisco Sour.

Ingredients

2 oz Pisco 1615 de Gran Terruño

1 oz fresh lime juice

½ oz simply syrup

1 egg white

Handful of ice

To garnish:

Angostura Bitters

Lime slices

Method

Put all the ingredients in a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for thirty seconds or so. You can omit the egg white if that’s your preference. Pour into a rocks glass and garnish with the lime slices and a few drops of the bitters.