"Pisco Tasting: Between Pleasure and Precision"
“In tasting, nothing is said; everything is debatable.”
In my final exam for pisco tasting, facing eight Afnor glasses with pure varieties, my professor, Ing. Edwin Landeo, challenged me: “With that nose, I demand double. Recognize them at first sight!” I passed, but I’m still learning from him.
Does the “technical tasting” really exist?
When talking about tasting, the first thing that comes to mind is the sensory experience tied to pleasure: discovering aromas, identifying flavors and textures, and allowing a spirit like pisco to transport us to memories and emotions. Therefore, it is said that tasting is, in essence, hedonistic, as it is based on personal enjoyment of the senses.
However, in the professional realm, the need arises to organize, record, and evaluate those perceptions systematically. This is where what many call “technical tasting” comes into play, but which, more properly, we could refer to as analytical tasting or professional tasting.
What differentiates analytical tasting from hedonistic tasting?
The difference lies in the purpose.
In hedonistic tasting, the objective is pleasure and subjective appreciation. Each taster is guided by their sensitivity, olfactory memory, and personal taste.
On the other hand, in analytical tasting, the purpose is to describe, evaluate, and communicate the characteristics of a beverage under common and reproducible criteria. For this, standardized sheets (ISO, OIV, CRDO-Pisco), scoring scales, and a agreed-upon vocabulary are used to reduce subjectivity.
The value of analytical tasting
Analytical tasting allows:
-To generate comparable and verifiable judgments in competitions and evaluations.
-To establish quality parameters.
-To train and educate tasters with a common language.
-To provide useful information to the producer and confidence to the consumer.
Thus, analytical tasting does not eliminate the hedonistic component; rather, it organizes it and provides a framework of objectivity. The taster continues to enjoy pisco but now with a method that enables them to convey that enjoyment with precision.
Final Reflection
We can conclude, then, that it is more appropriate to talk about analytical tasting or professional tasting instead of “technical tasting.” The former highlights the method; the latter, the context in which it is applied. Both coexist with hedonistic tasting, which constitutes the very essence of the act of tasting: the pleasure of the senses.
Because, after all, every tasting—whether analytical or hedonistic—begins in the nose and mouth but makes sense in the taster's memory and emotion. ¡Abrazo mojonero!
@elmagozurdo
Pisco & music
September 2025
Where pisco is the only protagonist!
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