Uruapan Charanda 5 Year Anejo Single Cask #420 aged in Ex-Tokaji Cask

For over a century, the Pacheco family has crafted exceptional charanda in Uruapan, Michoacán. Charanda is a Protected Denomination of Origin sugarcane distillate born from the region’s iron-rich, volcanic red soil (charanda in Purépecha). Run today by Miriam Pacheco, the family remains deeply dedicated to preserving this cane-distilling heritage, a legacy built in part by her brother Fernando, who lobbied to establish the D.O. in 2003.

This single cask bottling is uniquely crafted from the start. Rather than fresh cane juice, it utilizes piloncillo—a traditional unrefined sugar made by boiling fresh cane juice until rich and caramelized. Pot-distilled piloncillo spirit was blended with column-distilled molasses rum, then aged in casks that previously held Tokaji, Hungary’s legendary dessert wine.

The nose opens like a patisserie with burnt sugar, dark chocolate, cinnamon, and hints of kiwi and orange oil. The palate carries a lush, bourbon-like richness, unfolding with buttered pastry crust, honey, dried fig, and vanilla oak spice. Bottled at cask strength (52% ABV), it finishes with a long, honeyed oak note that beckons you back for another sip.