Co-Founder and President of Macchu Pisco, Lizzie Asher stopped by the studio to tell us all about Pisco. Lizzie is a good friend of mine and taught me about Pisco in a one on one class two years ago.
Pisco is technically a brandy but it is so much more than that. I believe it to be the purest expression of the grape. When you distill it, you cannot add anything to it, age it in barrels, or do anything else to impart flavor. All you can do is choose the single grape, or a blend, and allow the quality of the grapes to speak for themselves.
Lizzie explains the history of Pisco, various Pisco cocktails, and all the different varietals of grapes that can be used to make Pisco.
The most incredible thing about Macchu Pisco though is their commitment to the farmers that they work with. Macchu Pisco does not own their own farm or distillery so they work very closely with local farmers. They are working with female farmers and are bringing women grape pickers onto the field as well. They also pay their employees a living wage and have been working with farmers to change their agricultural practices. They ask that their farmers don’t spray their grapes with any pesticides but still pay them for what their yield will be
