Pisco is the national drink of Chile and Peru and its production process is similar to the fruit brandy produced in many Eastern European countries. However, pisco is made from grapes and most typically from muscatel type varieties. Pisco is naturally produced by several different wineries in Chile and Peru, but only a few manage to send it all the way to Europe. El Gobernador is almost the only one I have seen for sale in the Baltic countries.
Eli Gobernador is manufactured by the Chilean subsidiary of Spanish company Miguel Torres. At the end of the 70s, Miguel Torres bought a 100-hectare winery near the Andes mountains and began his experiments with Chilean wines and the distillates. Nowadays, the vineyards have already grown to a size of more than 400 hectares, and thus the production is big enough to sell also in the European market. Distilled from Muscatel wine in a traditional copper still, the brandy waits for a year in a steel tank before being filtered, bottled and delivered to the market. A 70cl bottle cost €18.99 in a Latvian liquor store.
Pisco is completely clear in the glass, but its viscosity is somewhat thicker than vodka. The scent is floral and fruity. The grape aroma is very recognizable. The taste is also fruity, in addition to the aroma of grapes, it also reminds me of canned peach or apricot. There is a little sweetness at the beginning, but the rather sharp bite of ethanol takes away the sweetness and the aftertaste is already quite dry and a little bitter. The grape aroma is not very long and strong, the taste of ethanol is more in the mouth, a bit like in moonshine made from sugar mash. The aroma of the copper pot still also brings its own nuance. The smell of El Gobernador is quite pleasant, but the taste is somewhat disappointing. Yes, one small glass of this goes well, but I´m already struggling with another one. It seems that apples and other fruits are more suitable as a raw material for such fruit brandies than grapes.
Pisco is recommended for use in various mixed drinks, and Miguel Torres also points this out, displaying different cocktails on the homepage. I tried pisco with different juices and tonic waters, but the taste of the distillate is so bland that it doesn’t add much new and special to the drinks. I would prefer gin for this purpose. To sipping neat, it’s a bit so so, one glass goes as a curiosity, but as a dessert with coffee, I would much rather take some oak barrel matured brandy.
78/100
