As distillery tours go, Ica has some of the most picturesque you’ll find anywhere. The valley is full of vineyards (some 300 growers) and the only ingredient in pisco is fermented grape juice. It’s aged in steel vats or other containers that don’t add any flavor to the pisco. (Unlike Ica’s wine, which is usually aged in barrels of French oak).

All distilleries have stacks of old ceramic vessels that were used to age pisco for hundreds of years. Pisco is an old tradition in Ica and the oldest distillery, Caravedo, has been making pisco since 1684.

History

Pisco was invented because in 1614 King Felipe III of Spain forbid importing wine from Peru and grape growers still needed to do something with all their grapes. It took a while to pivot to distilling, but there was no law against importing other alcoholic beverages, just wine.

Tasting technique