At a recent trip to Lima in Peru, I had the opportunity to travel to Don Michael Distillery, situated an hour’s drive in Lurín. This Peruvian distillery produces liqueurs, gin, rum and whiskey, including the pioneering Peruvian whiskey brand Black Whiskey, which has helped to create the new category of ‘Andean Whiskey’ as its first producer.
It was originally founded back in 2018 by American entrepreneur Michael Kuryla and his Peruvian wife Daiana Mayer.
This local brand has been more widely recognised within Peru itself since receiving international awards from abroad for the quality of their liquid (in particular the title of The World’s Best Whiskey — according To The 2022 New York World Spirits Competition).
Black Whiskey harnesses local Peruvian terroir through the use of Andean corn (‘maíz morado’ or purple maize although being referred as black corn on the label due to its appearance), mountain water and high altitude distillation. It produces a bourbon style of whiskey with a mash bill made up of 60% Andean corn, 15% malted barley, 15% malted wheat and 10% Peruvian unmalted wheat. The fermentation period takes between 2 to 3 days.
They currently utilise a 6,000L copper pot still to undertake a double distillation and produce around 1,000-1,200L per week of new make spirit at 62-63% abv, which is reduced below 60% and then matured for a minimum of 2.5 years in brand new charred white oak casks. Unlike Scotland, in Peru they have a much higher annual evaporation rate – the angel’s share – at around 10-15% due to their relatively hot climate with temperature fluctuations and the abv is higher at the end of the process (at 66%-67% abv).
The standard premium bottling of Black Whiskey has 45% ABV – here are the official tasting notes from their website:
Appearance: Dark amber, caramel, bright and clean. Crystal clear with intense tears.
Nose: Toasted corn with hints of vanilla and a smokey note finish. As the whiskey breathes there are subtle hints of dehydrated fruits such as raisins and dried apricots.
Palate: On initial contact with the palate Black Whiskey is intense but balanced with toasted vanilla, prominent oak notes and hints of dried fruits. Next are the bold flavors of cinnamon, cardamom and coffee with a unique finish of caramel corn creating a complex and distinct whiskey with plenty of personality.
A number of especially selected barrels by their master blender Daiana Mayer are also put aside when deemed to be of excellent quality to be bottled as a unique expression of their Andean Black whiskey. These Single Barrel Selection releases are non-chill filtered and bottled at cask strength (the one I have from my visit to the distillery was bottled at 61.30% for example).
Black Whiskey is the perfect example of a product that would be of interest to travellers going through Peru, from a drinks category not typically associated with the country (such as the more traditional Pisco). It was great to be able to see the product available at Lima International Airport at the Lagardère Duty Free store.
I had the opportunity to visit their production site during ASUTIL and was hosted by Gianfranco Fontana from Black Whiskey. I’d like to thank him and also to Michael Kuryla for facilitating the visit in advance of the trip.
0 Comments