Livio Pastorino

Evaluating Piscos

Two concepts that we often confuse are "tasting" & "sampling." Whereas the former is a technical analysis, the latter is more of a playful and educational experience […]

Back To Basics

One of the most important topics in the Pisco tasting methodology course is the basic guide. It consists of three phases that are distributed according to one of our senses. It starts with sight (view): what do we perceive? […]

A personal exercise

When we talk about grape descriptors, their aromatic profile or other indicators, some people unfamiliar with wine tasting wonder about the origin of that information: is there any technical support that confirms it? […]

Tasting Talks

During a conversation among friends, the curious question arose of how tasters avoid getting drunk. I explained that tasters don't drink the evaluation sample in one go, as that's prohibited. Imagine what would happen! […]

The Acholados (Blended)

Where does the word Acholado come from? There are several stories about it, but the one I like the most is from the great Pisco cocktail maker, Bartender Hans Hilburg. He mentions that […]

Origin of Pisco

Whenever Pisco is mentioned, so is adulteration. This reminds me that it not only affects this distilled beverage but also many other alcoholic beverages. […]

Let's talk about Pisco

With the Peruvian Tasters Association "ASPERCAT", we have held three "Let's Talk about Pisco" conversations through the Zoom platform. The first one was "Does Pisco improve with age?" […]

Official Taster or Expert Taster

In my Pisco tasting classes, some students ask me, "Professor, what are the requirements to be a Pisco taster and participate in contests?" […]

"The strength of Pisco lies in its quality."

While talking to a friend who imports Pisco in Vancouver, Canada, he mentioned how difficult it was for him to enter the market. The sale of alcoholic beverages in Canada is restricted, and licenses are granted by the government. […]