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 Cachaça
97 points
$120
An intriguingly rustic, rich, and warming aged cachaça that invites another sip.
Awards: 2022 Best Wood Aged Cachaca
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.
Germana Soul Cachaça
96 points
$37
A graceful and complex Cachaça with nuanced layers of flavor for sipping or thoughtful cocktails.
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
Germana Cachaça Da Palha
95 points
$54
A pure and well rounded Cachaça with flavors that glide across the palate to a warm satisfying finish.
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.
Germana Caetanos Cachaça
93 points
$37
A rich, wood-aged Cachaça with an interesting range of savory and sweet flavors.