Today, we will continue this series with a quite small, yet sympathetic distillery in Fougerolles, France:
Paul Devoille.
The history of the Paul Devoille distillery
1859: The distillery was founded by Xavier Devoille. His son,
Paul Devoille, was very dedicated to developing the distillery, and
worked hard on its growth. This is why up until this day, the distillery
is named after him. Paul Devoille was a very important person in
Fougerolles, he held the position of the major for many years.
Left: a photo of the original certificate that enabled Paul Devoille to distill spirits in 1899. Right: An old receipt from Paul Devoille
1925: Paul Devoille left the distillery in the hands
of his son-in-law, Raymond Gauttefroy, whose passion for distilling was
so big, that he could ensure the survival of the business through
another generation.
1972: Raymond retired, and decided to pass on the
ownership of the distillery: To his own son-in-law, Jaques Veillet. He
recognized the change in demand for spirits; consumers now preferred
sweet liqueurs over eau-de-vie. The spirits business was tough at this
time of the 19th Jentury, and a lot of distilleries went bancrupt or
were struggling.
1986: Due to the bad financial position the distillery
was in, Jaques Veillet decided to sell the distillery to an experienced
business man, who already invested into a couple of other distilleries
inside and outside on France. René Miscault bought the distillery, and
made some rapid administrational changes. He also expanded their product
range, and opened the distillery for visitors to the public. These
measures may seem drastic, however, they saved the distillery in the
end. Today, Hugues Miscault, the son of René Miscault, runs the
distillery.
Just like over 100 years ago, the wormwood is still stored in a spacious
attic of the building of the distillery. The room where absinthes are
distilled, is separated from the rooms where all other Devoille products
are produced. Although the equipment used in the distillery is quite
modern, the ways of making their products are still very traditional.
The wormwood grows in a growhouse until it is old enough to be planted
in the fields around Fougerolles. The harvesting of the wormwood is done
by hand.
The wormwood storage room. A wormwood harvester
The most popular absinthe coming from Devoille is probably the
Libertine. It is made after a recipe from 1894, that René Miscault is
said to have found himself. The basis to this recipe is a mixture of
maceration and distillation. Every plant is macerated on its own, and
distilled afterwards. Then all the different distillates are being mixed
together and macerated one more time, to give the Absinthe its green
colouring.
The alembics and distillation utilities may be modern, yet Devoille makes absinthe from a century-old recipe.
Paul Devoilles's absinthes and liquors
Apart from the Libertines, Devoille distills the Enigma Verte and
Enigma Blanche. Absinthe Soixante-Cinq is a pretty interesting absinthe
as well, with a quite spicy smell combined with a fruityness from the
wine-alcohol base. Certainly, there are a lot of other spirits produced
at Paul Devoille, such as eau-de-vies and liqueurs. From plum to
strawberry, you can find nearly all of the common flavours. If you want
to learn more, look at
all the Devoille products on our website.
One of their latest inventions is unique to this day: Called Absinthe
Creations, the distillers had the idea of enabling absintheurs to mix
their own absinthe, according to their personal taste, at home.
Therefore, Paul Devoille will be selling sets of tubes that contain
alcoholic distillates of each of the herbs you find in absinthe. These
kits are now available at Absinthes.com!
Absinthe creations: An interesting novelty by Paul Devoille
We hope you enjoyed learning a bit more about where the Paul Devoille
products are coming from, and that you will be awaiting our next
newsletter featuring another distillery in one month's time.
Warm regards,
Absinthes.com
Jean Dumas, a Parisian artist, is introduced to the addictive liquor absinthe by his materialistic mistress, who also convinces him to rob his well-to-do parents' house. Jean is discovered and disowned by his parents, then he marries one of their maids, who becomes repelled by his poverty and leaves him for a wealthier man. Jean, suffering from drug-induced hallucinations, eventually turns to robbery as a means of supporting his habit and joins an Apache gang. One night, disguised as a cabby, he attempts to rob a passenger who turns out to be his wife. He drives her through Paris to the forest where he strangles her and leaves her for dead. The next morning, he returns to his parents' home where his father gives him a gun and turns him away. In the city streets, Jean is ridiculed by urchins and follows a company of soldiers.
Colour: A clear, lively green.
Colour: Clear
