Arak Brun
Arak Brun is a 750mL Lebanese arak bottled at 53% ABV (106 proof), made by Domaine des Tourelles in Chtaura, in the Bekaa Valley — the house Francois-Eugene Brun founded in 1868. Grape alcohol and fresh anise are distilled in three stages in alembic stills, then aged one year in old clay jars in the domaine's hundred-year-old cellar. It is not sweetened. It is available to order online at Del Mesa Liquor.
- ABV: 53% (106 proof)
- Size: 750mL
- Origin: Domaine des Tourelles, Chtaura, Bekaa Valley, Lebanon
- Base: Grape alcohol and fresh anise (domaine copy names estate Obeidi and Cinsault grapes)
- Distillation: Three-stage distillation in alembic stills
- Aging: 1 year in old clay jars
- Sweetening: None — not sweetened
Lebanon's First Commercial Cellar, Since 1868
French engineer Francois-Eugene Brun arrived in Lebanon and in 1868 founded Domaine des Tourelles at Chtaura — the country's first commercial cellar, making wine and arak in the Bekaa Valley. The domaine says arak production has run uninterrupted since, through the Brun family and, since the early 2000s, the Issa family, who grow much of the domaine's own anise at Deir el Ahmar in the Bekaa since 2015. The standard Brun is the house's foundation bottling: one year in clay, no sugar, nothing between the anise and the drinker. Explore the domaine on the Arak Brun vendor page and in our spirits collection.
Tasting Notes
The importer's tech sheet gives the standard Brun a licorice-like taste — in the absinthe flavour family, but smoother. The domaine publishes no fuller nose/palate/finish set for this bottling, and the richer tasting notes circulating at retail are not producer-attributed, so they are not repeated here.
How to Enjoy
Per the importer: with water and ice, and traditionally with mezes — small fresh fish, fries, olives, feta cheese. Add the water before the ice and let the louche build. The longer-aged sibling and more Levantine bottles are on the Arak Brun vendor page and in our liqueurs collection.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is Arak Brun aged?
One year in old clay jars, per the US importer's tech sheet. Listings that say five years are describing the Special Reserve — a different bottling (see below).
What is the difference between Arak Brun and Arak Brun Special Reserve?
Age, and only age: same producer, same 53% ABV, same three-stage alembic distillation and clay jars — the standard rests 1 year, the Special Reserve 5 years.
Is Arak Brun sweetened?
No. Domaine copy is explicit that Arak Brun is not sweetened — its softness comes from the grape spirit and the clay rest, not sugar.
The Bekaa original, one year in clay — order Arak Brun online from Del Mesa Liquor in San Diego, CA.
