About South American Spirits

The South American spirits category includes cachaça, pisco, aguardiente and other spirits indigenous to South America.

Pisco is a grape based spirit originating in the grape growing regions of Peru, and Chile. Essentially pisco is a pomace brandy and is distilled from the leftover pomace, or solid remains, leftover after grapes are pressed during the winemaking process. The term "pisco" is recognized as an appellation throughout the world and is reserved for these grape based spirits of Peru and Chile.

Cachaça is a sugar cane based spirit originating in Brazil. Similar to Pisco, the term cachaça is recognized as an appellation reserved for these Brazilian spirits. Although similar in style to rum, these spirits are not to be confused. Cachaça is distilled only from fresh sugar cane juice, like agricole rhum, not molasses like most rums on the market,; it is commonly produced as either unaged or wood-aged.

Top Picks for South American Spirits

Pitú Vitoriosa Cachaca
96 points
$120
Balanced and complex with loads of barrel spice counterbalanced with a fresh crispness that is almost like drinking a perfect autumn evening.
Suyo Single Origin No. 2 Italia Pisco Brandy
95 points
$65
Bold yet delicate with fruity and floral layers of complexity that keep changing in the glass; a contemplative sipper.
Awards: 2022 Best Pisco
Kachaca! Unaged Cachaca
93 points
$35
Very complex with bright green notes that will be a hit in appropriate cocktail applications.
Suyo Single Origin No. 1 Quebranta Pisco Brandy
93 points
Beautiful, gentle, and inviting with fruit, sweetness, and subtle earthiness.
Pisco Logia Pisco Puro Quebranta
93 points
$40
Bold yet inviting, and probably fantastic in cocktails; this Pisco has amazing aromatics with bold fruits, refreshing citrus, and bright herbal tones.
Cachaça Bela Ouro Wood Aged Cachaça
93 points
$45
Barrel dominated flavors, but a cornucopia of sweet tropical spices that make for an awesome autumnal sipper.
Pitú Gold Cachaca
91 points
$24
Best Buy
Baked pastry notes that make this a great addition to your stirred cocktails or a float to your sours.
91 points $24 Best Buy
Pisco Logia Pisco Acholado
89 points
$40
Tropical and citrus forward, this is a thoughtful sipper that will hold up to cocktails.
Nossa Amburana Wood-Aged Cachaca
88 points
$46
A lighter take on wood-aged Cachaça with all the typical flavors you'd expect from a Brazilian classic; will be great in a Caipirinha.
Pisco Capel Reservado
88 points
$19
Best Buy
Clean and pleasantly fruity, this is a nice and mild introduction to the Pisco category.
88 points $19 Best Buy