Spirited News 06/2021: Barsol Piscos
To further enhance my Pisco knowledge, I had the chance to directly compare three more Piscos. All three “aromatic” grape variety Piscos come from Barsol. It was impressive to experience the similarities, but also the differences between the Moscatel, Italia and Torontel grapes.
Similar to the Piscos I already presented on the blog, Barsol produces these three versions in a single shot distillation. Furthermore, they are bottled at still-strength on the Bodega San Isidro. The first Pisco in this little tasting is the Barsol Moscatel. This Pisco uses Moscatel grapes from the valleys of Ica and Nazca in Peru.
White wine notes
When you taste the Barsol Moscatel, you will first discover typical Pisco notes of overripe fruits and grapes. On top of that, the Moscatel reminds me of white wine with additional dried fruits. In my opinion, these fruit notes tend towards golden raisins. All in all, I guess this would make excellent Pisco Sours.
Vegetal and umami
The Barsol distil their Italia Pisco from a selection of Italia grapes from the Valley of Ica. The Italia grapes belong to the “aromatic” grapes and are also used as table grapes. Contrary to the Moscatel, the Italia delivers more vegetal and umami flavours. Apart from that, the unaged brandy also shows more red fruits and berries. On top of that, the Pisco had an interesting olive-like flavour which make it a bit unconventional.
Pineapple flavours
Last but not least, I tried the Barsol Selecto Torontel. The “aromatic” Torontel grape variety is related to the Muscat variety and also known as Muscat blanc à Petits Grains. Furthermore, the grapes come from the Southern Ica and Ocucaje valleys. The Torontel Pisco has even more exotic fruit notes, reminiscent of pineapples. In the end, the Torontel might just be the most complex of the three Piscos, but at the same time also the most unconventional.
*The fact that I received a product reviewed in this article for free, did not – in any way – influence the rating of said product. The Piscos were provided by Perola GmbH.
