Visiting the Pisco Trail

Pisco is a liquor few drink outside of Peru and Chile, but it has been growing in popularity in the United States. Pisco Portón grew 59% in the U.S. between 2012 and 2014, for example, and Macchu Pisco has been jumping 30% per year for the past half decade. Although Peru and Chile maintain a fierce rivalry over where the clear spirit made from grapes was born, travelers to either nation should make a pilgrimage to visit a distillery. In Chile, head to the gorgeous Elqui Valley where the famed Mistral Distillery is as fascinating as the world-class stargazing at the Mamalluca Observatory. Or when in Peru, the “Pisco Trail” offers many options, highlighted by Pisco Portón‘s Hacienda La Caravedo, a cultural treasure that dates back to the 1680s. (Photo: Randal Sheppard)