Pisco is not something I typically drink neat, sort of like vodka and gin. I prefer to use them in cocktails, but I figured since I had three of the more available BarSol pisco's, I would try them all out (Acholado, Italia & Quebranta). The acholado is a blend of three types of grapes that are allowed to be used in pisco production (at least in Peru). It seems to be made for mixing, but I found it pretty decent neat. To be fair, I had very low expectations. On the nose it had a lot of pepper and some melon. My expectations increased a bit with the nose and I was pleasantly surprised with the first taste. It was buttery and almost creamy, with lime and salt. It was very smooth and even the finish, while a touch hot, was pretty long with a bit of blackberry and spice. I have to admit, for how little pisco gets talked about, it was more than drinkable. I wouldn't say it was very complex, but it was smooth and didn't have any off-putting notes. Is it better in cocktails? I think so, but its still pretty good neat. I would say neat it's a 3, but if you plan to use in cocktails I would say a 3.5, so I will split the difference.