Destilerías Acha is one of the oldest businesses in continuous operation in the Basque Country of Spain. Destilerías Acha grew and gained recognition as one of Spain’s top distilleries until it began to fall into neglect in the 1980s, but when Gabriel Acha took control of the distillery in 2002, it was brought back to solid ground. Gabriel’s revitalization restored traditional products like the Acha Pacharán and classic Basque vermouths, and drew inspiration from the example of his ancestor, Manuel Acha, in exploring new territory in the world of craft spirits. 

The story of whisky at Distilerías Acha goes back to 1926 when Martín Acha, the grandson of Manuel, was studying in Scotland. At the urging of his grandfather, he learned the techniques for making and maturing whisky — following just eight years behind Masataka Taketsuru, one of the primary founders of Japanese whisky, who traveled to Scotland to do the same. Although the Acha family’s dreams of producing a whisky lay dormant for decades, in 2023 they were finally awakened and realized by the current generation, Gabriel Acha. Gabriel is driven by his innovative vision of the combination of Basque terroir and exceptional quality, resulting in a whisky that is fresh, modern, and yet deeply rooted in tradition.

Ibar, Basque for “river valley”, is a whisky made in the Basque highlands that is deeply rooted in this landscape’s very specific terroir. Acha Distillery sources barley from local malteries, building their 3yr blend with 15% malted barley and the balance is unmalted barley. Rather than use peat to smoke their malted grains, they use fast-growing heather roots sourced from the Basque Country. Not only does this give the whisky a completely unique, green-smoke profile, but it makes the Ibar whiskies far more sustainable than cocktail whiskies using peat, which takes millenia to form. 

Ibar whisky is distilled at Acha’s headquarters in Álava in their historic Hervé & Moulin copper pot still, one of the oldest functioning pot stills in Europe. It is then aged in freshly re-charred Iberian oak casks, sourced from local winemakers, before being down proofed with pristine filtered water from the Nervión River and bottled. Acha Distillery’s Ibar whiskies are a completely fresh take on Scotch-style malt whisky, with a unique character reflecting their Basque ingredients and terroir.

Flavor Profile: Acha’s Ibar 3yr whisky has a light, grainy nose, with a distinctly savory profile of green smoke and sea salt and a long, textural finish

Usage Notes: Ibar 3yr is a perfect highball whisky, and more than holds its own in more complex cocktails, especially citrus and spice drinks like mules or Penicillins.

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