The Pierre GUY distillery founded in 1890 by Mr Armand GUY, is happy to welcome you. This former absinthe distillery produces nowadays a distilled aniseed drink called “PONTARLIER-ANIS”. In order to understand why the green aniseed is distilled in Pontarlier, it is important to know the history of absinthe.

Painting ODON Pontarlier

It is an aromatic plant well known since antiquity for its medicinal properties. It was at the end of the eighteenth century that the folk remedy of Mother Henriot was first heard of. Consisting of a distillation of absinthe, it was used by Doctor Ordinaire to heal his patients.

In 1797 Mother Henriot’s secret recipe came into the hands of Major DUBIED. He used it to produce 30 litres a day at Couvet, then to avoid excise duty set up in Pontarlier in 1805. In the laboratories of the Maison Bastide in the Grande Rue the daily production gradually increased from the basic 30 litres to 25.000 in 1908.

In 1826 there were four absinthe distilleries at Pontarlier with an annual output of 100 000 litres. By 1913 there were 22 of them, not counting three more on the outskirts of town. By 1833 daily production had reached 55 000 litres and absinthe was exported worldwide… even as far as China. Increasingly popular, it was a “knockout” aperitif which cost just a few centimes a glass, and was known for its strength of… believe it or not… between 65 and 72 degrees proof.

It should be mentioned that the absinthe plant, grown all around Pontarlier and as far as Morteau and Levier was distilled with seeds of the green aniseed, grown in Spain. Needless to say, the distillery provided many jobs both in the fields and in the distillery itself.

The largest of these distilleries was that of Pernod, founded by Major DUBIED mentioned above and his son-in-law Henri-Louis PERNOD.

Armand GUY, founder, when he was a soldier.

In 1901 that factory suffered an incredible fire which is still, today remembered in Pontarlier. The large stocks of absinthe were in danger of blowing up and Pontarlier could have burned down entirely. Fortunately a worker took the initiative in emptying the vats straight into the River Doubs which flowed past the distillery.

That day, aperitif was served in an unexpected fashion and could be drunk for free. All they had to do was to lean over the bank, dip their glasses in and drink. Firemen and passers-by drank to their heart’s content. It is said that the soldiers of the Pontarlier garrison drank it straight out of their helmets, and the Green Fairy as absinthe was known at the time, coloured the river Doubs as far as the Source of the Loue. This proved that the Loue was a resurgence of the river Doubs.

Finally, a powerful campaign was to begin against absinthe. The critics claimed “absinthe led to madness and crime, turned men into beasts and threatened civilisation as (they) knew it”. The supporters were the Doubs Members of Parliament who were defending a flourishing industry.

However, the slump in the sales of wines from the Midi and the outbreak of war in 1914 were to be fatal to absinthe. By a Decree of 04/08/1914, two days after the declaration of war, the sale of absinthe was forbidden in France, and by the Act of 08/03/1915, it was outlawed forever.

Some distilleries disappeared and others became dormant until 1921 when the distillation of aniseed was authorised. It was at that time that the “PONTARLIER-ANIS” was created and, we must point out that this is the only aperitif produced with distilling green aniseed. The stills which are in the distillery were already used a century ago to distil absinthe. They use the Bain-Marie method and are heated by steam. They consist of the cucurbit, the head and the swan neck which is linked to the cooling system containing a brass coil cooled by constantly running water.

ABSINTHE REVIVAL

The Green Fairy was born again in 2001! After a lot of research it was scientifically proved that all the accusations, against absinthe were unfounded, and, due to our insistence, a decree allows absinthe-containing spirits to be sold.

The absinthe stem is hand-picked at the end of July in the Pontarlier fields. The bundles are slowly dried so that they can develop their subtle aromas. Their leaves and flowers are then used according to the Guy family’s ancestral recipe. Click here to find some words and photographs from Marie-Claude Delahaye’s book “Promenade autour de l’Absinthe d’hier et d’aujourd’hui”.

Lowered to a reasonable alcoholic degree our François Guy absinthe once again gives its nobility to this mythical aperitif. Sample it like in the old times at the absinthe-fountain, drop after drop, to discover all its aromas and flavour.

Certain vats are those we used in 1900 to age absinthe. They are made of oak and still in perfect condition. Alcohol does preserve!

The products made in our factory are natural, made from plants or fruit, and their attractive colours owe nothing to artificial colourings. The range of our eaux-de-vie and traditional liqueurs as well as our pure sugar syrups (the Siranis, for example), makes us famous among gourmets; just as the unique aromas of our often-prized absinthe during the Absinthiades, a yearly competition aiming at rewarding the best French absinthes.

If you have already visited us, we hope that these few lines will bring back happy memories.

If you have never come to see us, we would welcome you with a free tasting of all our aperitifs, eaux-de-vie and liqueurs.

See you soon.

SAS Distillerie Pierre GUY - 49 rue des Lavaux - 25300 PONTARLIER - France
Tél. 00-33-3-81-39-04-70 / Fax 00-33-3-81-39-59-67 / contact@pontarlier-anis.com