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 understand the history of absinthe.

Painting ODON Pontarlier

What is absinthe ? It is an aromatic plant well known since antiquity for its medical 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 in Pontarlier with an annual output of 100,000 litres. By 1913 there were 22 of them, not counting three more in the outskirts of the town. By 1833 daily production had reached 555,000 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 degees 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 Pernod, founded by Major Dubied mentioned above and his son-in-law Henri-Louis PERNOD.

In 1901 this business 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 to empty the vats straight into the River Doubs which flowed past the distillery.

That day, aperitif was served in an unexpected fashion and you could drink for free. All you had to do was to lean over the bank, dip your glass in and drink. Firemen and passers-by drank to their heart's content. It is said that the soldiers of the Pontarlier garrison knocked it back by the helmet full, 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. Those "against" claimed "absinthe led to madness and crime, turned men into beasts and threatened civilisation as we knew it". Those "in favour" 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 this time that the "PONTARLIER-ANIS" was created and we would point out that is the only aperitif produced with distilling green aniseed. The stills which are in the distillery were previously used a century ago to distill absinthe.

We also make imitation wood bottles, entirely hand-made with wood paste. To make and decorate a bottle takes more than half an hour work.

Certain vats are those we used in 1900 to age absinthe. They are made of oak and still in perfect condition, preserved by the alcohol.

The products made in our factory are natural, made from plants or fruits and despite their attractive colours do not contain artificial colouring.

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

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

See you soon.

Sarl 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