We create our absinth using only herbs, high quality grain spirit, real sugar (not glucose or corn syrup), and unfiltered mountain spring water. Our absinth begins life just like every real absinth: application of spirit to a large quantity of herbs. This herbal/sprit mixture is called a macerate and the process of soaking herbs in alcohol is called maceration. The maceration process is how absinth production began since day 1, the same process used by absinth distillers today in France and Switzerland. The only difference between them and us, is how we treat the macerate. Distillers destroy much of the medicinal and healing properties of the macerate by at the act of distillation as these molecular compounds are broken during the destructive process of heating the macerate to the boiling point for alcohol. The distiller is also limited by the laws of physics, only the compounds that can survive the process of being turned into a gas and then back to a liquid will be in the final product, and only the compounds with a vaporization temperature lower to or equal to that of alcohol will be passed on to the final product. Every compound not able to survive two changes in their fundamental states of existence (liquid - gas - liquid) or with a higher boiling point than alcohol will not be in the final product and no “art distiller” or “distillation master” can changes these facts. The compounds in the final product of a distilled absinth depends upon the laws of physics, not the “skill” of the distiller.

Why did they distill in the past? The answer is simple: lack of filtration technology. When the macerate is created, when herbs and alcohol are mixed together, the result is a liquid full of plant matter, from fine dust-like particles to large pieces of flowers, leaves and seeds. The next problem for the absinth producer to solve is how to separate the liquid from the solid matter - how to filter the macerate - because nobody wants to drink tiny bits of plant material and a cloudy alcoholic drink is not considered to be of good quality. The simplest and easiest means to achieve this filtration is by distillation, the result is a colourless clear liquid free of any plant material. But the easiest and quickest method doesn't mean the best method. Distillation by its very nature destroys many of the healing compounds of the herbs used in the macerate. In the early 1800's, filtration methods other than distillation included the use of asbestos and hair as the filtration medium. Not very desirable options, nor could they produce as clear a liquid as distillation. Thus, distillation, by default, became the filtration method used by absinth producers to separate the plant material from the spirit used in the maceration.

We filter our macerate without the destructive process of heating and boiling, or increasing the molecular movement of the macerate to such a degree that molecules that are joined together break their bonds to each other and fly away, their present state of being is literally destroyed . Our absinth is filtered 6 times including a freeze filtration where the entire batch is chilled to below zero in a specially designed tank before the filtration begins. This is based on the theory of molecular motion. As the temperature of the absinth decreases the space between the molecules decreases, forcing compounds that were once dissolved, back into a solid state, allowing for the compound to be filtered out. By this method the filtration is much finer and more effective than if it took place when the absinth was at room temperature.

Think about how you enjoy your cup of coffee, espresso, tea or chai, how wonderful the aroma and taste are. These beverages are made by filtering the macerate (tea leaves, herbal plants, coffee beans and water). Now imagine how that aroma would smell and herbal taste would be if you distilled your coffee and tea, and then diluted the distillate and drank that? This comparison is exactly the same with Absinth. So don't believe the marketing bullshit about “master distillers”, and “real absinthe” must be distilled or is better than non-distilled processing of the macerate. This idea of a “master distiller” or an “artisan distiller” is especially humorous, because the distillation of the alcohol is based on physics: ethanol boils at 78.1 deg. cel. And no matter how artistic or masterful a person is, this fact cannot be changed.