Destilerías Acha is one of the oldest businesses in continuous operation in the Basque Country of Spain.

Initially founded in 1831 by Paúl Pomes in the city of Bilbao, Manuel Acha later joined the enterprise to manage the distillery. In 1880, the two men expanded to a larger building in the town of Amurrio. Paúl Pomes soon retired and sold his portion of the business to Manuel Acha. Destilerías Acha has been owned by the Acha family since 1886 and is led today by the savvy and charismatic Gabriel Acha, who is steeped in Basque cocktail and culinary culture.

Manuel Acha was a perfectionist who sought improvement in all of his products. He traveled throughout Europe, exploring the techniques to tools, both old and new of various distillation traditions throughout the continent. He applied the lessons of his travels and quickly became famous for a variety of products, most notably his Pacharán Acha. Martín Acha, the grandson of Manuel, carried on that legacy of learning from distilling traditions abroad, traveling to Scotland in 1926 to learn the craft of malt whisky (an endeavor that wouldn’t come to fruition for generations).

Destilerías Acha continued to grow and gain recognition as one of Spain’s top distilleries until it began to fall into neglect in the 1980s. When Gabriel took control of his namesake distillery in 2002, it was on the verge of bankruptcy, and production of classics like vermouth ceased. Just a few years hence, though, and Gabriel had brought it back to solid ground. His revitalization of Destilerías Acha focused on leveraging the substantial strengths of the distillery: its extensive history, the expertise of its staff, and its innovative spirit. Gabriel brought back legendary products like the Pacharán Acha and traditional Basque vermouths. He invested in a significant modernization of the facility, providing his experienced team the tools to craft the best products possible.

Ultimately, Gabriel drew inspiration from the legacy of his ancestor, Manuel Acha, in the exploration of new products, techniques, and collaborations, pushing the historic family business into new territory. One such collaboration is with the legendary cider house Trabanco, located down the Northern Spanish coast in Asturias. Together with Samuel Trabanco, Acha crafted a revolutionary new vermouth based on Trabanco’s natural cider: Alma de Trabanco Quinquina en Rama. And in fulfillment of an unrealized dream, Gabriel Acha and his team began distilling and aging fully-Basque malt whisky with the Ibar line. 

Driven by the inherently curious and experimental sensibilities of its founder, but always sturdily rooted in the Basque region and its unique heritage, the future is indeed bright at Destilerías Acha.