Atxa Pacharan Sierra de Orduna Liqueur 700ml

Destilerías Acha, known as Atxa in Basque, was founded in 1831 and stands among the oldest continuously operating distilleries in Spain's Basque Country. The business grew into one of the region's most respected producers before falling into decline during the 1980s, until Gabriel Acha, the fifth generation of the family, took over in 2002 and restored it, reviving traditional products including this pacharán alongside the distillery's Basque vermouths. Pacharán itself has roots stretching back to medieval Navarre, where rural households infused wild sloe berries in anise spirit long before it became a commercial product in the mid twentieth century.

Atxa's version draws on sloe berries hand-picked from the hillsides of the Sierra de Orduña, near the Artomaña Valley vineyards that also produce Arabako Txakolina wine. The berries are macerated in a grape spirit distilled five times, while a separate batch of that same spirit is used to macerate three varieties of anise and then distilled once more in the distillery's copper pot stills, some more than a century old. The two macerations are finally blended with sugar and additional alcohol to create the finished liqueur, following a recipe passed down through the Acha family.

The color is a deep reddish brown. On the nose, anise and licorice dominate, layered over the tart, slightly tannic character of the sloe berries. The palate is smooth and rich, balancing sweet fruit against the anise's herbal edge, with a lingering, warming finish. It's traditionally served neat, chilled, or over ice as an after-dinner digestif.