The Pernod distillery in Thuir is located in one of the historic homes of the brand near Perpignan, in Southern France. The distillery is part of Pernod’s factory where Suze, Byrrh and the firm’s wine-based aperitifs, are produced. It was officially opened in October 2013.
Pernod began the 2-year long construction of the site after the French law-makers voted to lift the nation-wide ban in 2011.
An absinthe is never produced in one go, it is a long and complex process over 3 steps: the maceration, the distillation and the coloration. It’s impossible to obtain a fine Fée Verte in one day; all 3 steps are achieved over 3 days, not counting the wormwood stripping, the bottling and labelling of course.
Day 1 – The maceration
A distillation naturally starts with the herbs themselves. Each dried herb has to be carefully weighed following a precise recipe, a recipe dating to 1804 in the case of Absinthe Sauvage.
No big secret here, small quantities of herbs are weighed on a precision scales using a bowl, whereas big quantities – such as green anise, wormwood and fennel – are weighed with a professional electronic scales.
