Destilería Chinchón (Real Fábrica de Anís)
Tucked behind an unmarked door on Calle Real, the Destilería Chinchón has been distilling the town's celebrated anís liqueur since 1777. Guided visits let you walk the original copper stills, smell the star anise in the fermentation room and taste three expressions — dry, semi-dry and sweet — straight from the barrel.
The history in the bottle
Chinchón anís was granted a Denominación de Origen Geográfica in 1989, recognising that the specific combination of local water and Castilian star anise gives it a character that cannot be replicated elsewhere. The distillery still uses the same slow-distillation method documented in its 18th-century ledgers.
The building itself is a working piece of industrial heritage: hand-painted azulejo tiles line the tasting room, original oak barrels are stacked three high in the ageing cellar, and the copper pot stills have been repaired rather than replaced for over two centuries.
The tasting and the shop
The guided visit ends in a low-ceilinged tasting room where you compare Chinchón Seco (74% ABV — genuinely fierce), Chinchón Especial (35% ABV, the one locals mix with water until it turns milky white) and Chinchón Dulce (the sweet digestif served in every restaurant in town).
The on-site shop sells limited-edition ceramic bottles and gift sets unavailable anywhere else, as well as the distillery's own olive oil pressed from the surrounding groves — an unexpected but excellent souvenir.
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