Spain | Basque Country | Destilerías Acha

Destilerías Acha

Wines

Basque Country

Acha Blanco Vermouth
Acha Dry Vermouth
Acha Tinto Vermouth
Atxa Pacharán Sierra de Orduña

Founded in 1831, Destilerías Acha has been at the forefront of distillation in the Basque Country for years. The distillery is located in Amurrio, 50 km from the Cantabrian Sea. Today, Gabriel Acha maintains the traditions and recipes passed down by his ancestors for the distillation and creation of liqueurs and spirits with all natural ingredients. The distillery is famous for many products including the traditional Basque after-dinner drink known as Pacharán.

Vino Vermouth is another traditional recipe the Acha family is keeping alive. Vermouth is a fortified and aromatized wine that is macerated with a selection of herbs, fruits and roots. The word “vermouth” comes from the German word for “wormwood”, which was originally one of its primary infused ingredients.

In restaurants throughout the Basque Country, a weekend meal begins with a ceremonial vermouth service. Decanters of vermouth are presented on a tray with ice, sparkling water, olives, wedges of cut citrus, and two small bitters bottles: one full of Campari and the other filled with London Dry Gin. Each guest dictates their preferred garnish and ingredients, which the waiter then serves tableside. Acha’s classically Basque vermouth syncs beautifully with the broader vermouth tradition in Spain, heavily represented in Madrid, Barcelona, and the Basque Country. The botanicals are macerated in aguardiente – produced in a 130 year-old copper pot still – and blended into a neutral Airén wine base.