BarSol Acholado Pisco

Pisco is not something I typically drink neat, sort of like vodka and gin. I prefer to use them in cocktails, but I figured since I had three of the more available BarSol pisco's, I would try them all out (Acholado, Italia & Quebranta). The acholado is a blend of three types of grapes that are allowed to be used in pisco production (at least in Peru). It seems to be made for mixing, but I found it pretty decent neat. To be fair, I had very low expectations. On the nose it had a lot of pepper and some melon. My expectations increased a bit with the nose and I was pleasantly surprised with the first taste. It was buttery and almost creamy, with lime and salt. It was very smooth and even the finish, while a touch hot, was pretty long with a bit of blackberry and spice. I have to admit, for how little pisco gets talked about, it was more than drinkable. I wouldn't say it was very complex, but it was smooth and didn't have any off-putting notes. Is it better in cocktails? I think so, but its still pretty good neat. I would say neat it's a 3, but if you plan to use in cocktails I would say a 3.5, so I will split the difference.

Extremely different from my wheelhouse. Fresh, sweet, round, and floral. Apricot and honeydew. Jasmine. Fresh white grape must. Quite distinct from aged spirits, there is a saccharine stevia sweetness that is inescapable, yet underneath that my tastebuds toggle between yeasty hefeweizen beer, Medjool dates, sweet simple syrup, and crisp green bean vegetal notes. Raw egg white. Agree whole-heartedly with the reviewer's oolong - somewhere between green and oxidized tea. Everything works surprisingly well but is totally in left field versus my expectations and preferences. The youth and single distillation seem to reinforce the impression of unaged spirit, but cohesive and soft, without any prevailing ethanol note that one would expect. I have to peg this as a success because most of the factors I could construe as detractors seem to be based in my lack of familiarity rather than a lack of quality. Fresh, young, vibrant, and inescapably floral, this is clearly a good value. I'll need to continue my pisco education.

Quick hit free taste. Not really one for me..little flavor