About production
We make our Absinthe and Bitter using only herbs, high quality grain spirits, real sugar (not glucose or corn syrup) and unfiltered mountain spring water. Our Absinthe begins its life like any real Absinthe: by applying spirit (agricultural natural ethyl alcohol) to a large amount of herbs. This mix of herbs and spirits is called Macerate, and the process of soaking herbs in alcohol is called MACERATION.
Maceration has been the way real Absinthe has been made since day one, and the same process is still used today by distilleries in France and Switzerland. The only difference between them and us is how we treat *MACERATE. Distilleries destroy a lot of the medicinal properties of MACERATE through the distillation process in which the molecular structures are destroyed during the destructive process of heating MACERATE to the boiling point of alcohol.
Distilleries are also limited by the laws of physics. Only the components that survive the process of conversion to gas - then back to liquid state will be in the final product. Only components with a vaporization temperature lower than or equal to that of alcohol will be transferred to the final product. Any component that is unable to survive two changes in their basic states of existence (liquid-gaseous-liquid) or with a higher boiling point than alcohol will not be in the final product and no "expert distillers" or "master distillers" can change these facts. The components in the final distilled absinthe product depend on 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 MACERATE is made, i.e. when herbs are mixed with alcohol, the result is a liquid full of the essence of the plant, from fine dust to large parts of flowers, leaves, seeds. The next problem for the manufacturer is how to separate the liquid from the solid - how to filter the MACERATE - well no one wants to drink tiny bits of plants, nor is a cloudy alcoholic drink considered quality.
The simplest and easiest way to achieve filtration is distillation, and the result is a colourless pure liquid without bits of herbs. However, the easiest and fastest method does not mean the best method. Distillation, by its very nature, destroys many medicinal components of the herbs used in the MACERATION process. In the early 1800s, filtration methods, in addition to distillation, included the use of asbestos and hair as a filtering agent. These are not the most desirable ways, nor is the product obtained in this way as clear as the liquid obtained by distillation.
We filter our MACERATE without the destructive process of heating and boiling or increasing the molecular movement in the MACERATION process to the point that the molecules that are joined are separated from each other and "fly away" and their current state is completely destroyed. Our Absinthe is filtered six times including frozen filtering, where the entire content is cooled to a temperature of 0° C in a special reservoir before the filtration begins. This method is based on the theory of molecular motion. When the Absinthe's temperature drops, the space between the molecules shrinks, forcing the components that were once separated to return to a solid state, allowing the components to be filtered. Filtering with this method is much better quality and more efficient than if it is done at room temperature.
Remember how you enjoy your cup of coffee, espresso or tea, how wonderful their aroma and taste is.
These drinks are made by filtering MACERATE (tea leaves, medicinal herbs, coffee beans and water). Now imagine how that aroma would smell and taste if they distilled your coffee or tea and then diluted it? This comparison is exactly the same with Absinthe. So don't believe the marketing crap about "master distillers" and how "real Absinthe" has to be distilled and is better than undistilled. This idea of "master distiller" and "artist distiller" is especially funny because the distillation of alcohol is based on physics: ethanol boils at 78.1 °C and no matter how good an artist or craftsman, this fact is indisputable.
*Macerate: the process of soaking herbs in alcohol.
