Distilled Spirits – Brandy – Chilean Pisco (3)
In 1900, Aníbal Echeverría y Reyes, in his work “Voces chilenas,” defined pisco as “a certain type of brandy.” Manuel Antonio Román, a Chilean priest and lexicographer, in his “Dictionary of Chileanisms and Other Vicious Locutions” (1901-1918), explained that pisco was a valued brandy produced in Peru and Chile, and that its name originated from the Peruvian port of Pisco.
Chilean-German linguist Rodolfo Lenz also mentioned it as a fine grape brandy in his “Etymological Dictionary of Chilean Words Derived from Native American Languages” (1905-1911).
In 1916, a law was enacted granting tax exemption to natural piscos, those produced directly from special grapes without additives and bottled by the producers themselves. From then on, commercial brands such as “Pisco Lorenzo Bauzá” and “Pisco Tres Erres” began to emerge.
These events marked the recognition and regulation of Chilean pisco as a distinct and unique brandy, setting it apart from Peruvian pisco.
In response to the Great Depression in the 1930s, the Chilean pisco industry was affected, and small family businesses faced economic difficulties. In 1931, nine entrepreneurs in the industry formed an informal association called “Embotellación Única” to control the production and quality of pisco. This led to the enactment of Decree Law 181 that same year. In May 1933, the Agrarian Cooperative and Pisquero Control of Elqui Limitada, known as Pisco Control, was permanently established. This cooperative obtained legal personality and marketed its product under the brand “Pisco Control.”
