The “Natural Booze” movement
A people of irreducible Gauls, French distillers of natural booze, wished to promote the fruit of their natural distillation. This is the birth of the “Natural Booze” movement!
At the origin several “natural” distillers, amongst them L’Atelier du Bouilleur,
wished to expose their method of production and explain what distinguishes them from industry, from many so-called artisanal distilleries and from the increasingly soft additives policy
of the European organic label. “Craft” is not a guarantee of quality or authenticity. A craftsperson can work with his hands but use imported plants or industrial or chemical materials.
Craftsmanship does not mean “organic” or “natural”.
Lack of knowledge about distillation and proper guidance in judging the quality of spirits confuses even those consumers who are interested in production methods and quality standards. It is therefore time for natural distillers to take a cue from their Natural Wine comrades and define what a Natural Eau-de-vie is.
The heritage of Natural Booze
The art of distillation is ancient and belongs to the world of alchemists and farmers. First of all, distillation was an act of transformation of matter and creation of remedies. It was later that the idea of making alcohol with the local production of fruits, plants, vegetables or grains came up. Distillates have always been of great importance for our societies and their survival, serving as comfort during long winter nights or means of payment or exchange in the rural world
In any case, where humans cultivate produce, there is fermentation. And where there is fermentation, the still is never far away. At a time when every village had a still, unique recipes and production methods were born. These skills have been developed in connection with their respective terroirs.
Because of the implementation of a drastic and liberticide legislation, our distilling traditions are threatened of disappearance.
We believe that if we become aware of the baggage of our specific agricultural traditions, of the importance of the knowledge acquired in the XX and XXI centuries, as well as of the experience of all the distillers who were there before us, we will be able to rediscover the richness of the flavors of an almost forgotten art.
The basis of the Natural Booze Manifesto’s creation
With industrialization, techniques have developed but the principle of distillation has remained the same: grow, ferment, cook, evaporate, condense. For us this implies taking care of the earth that grows our fruit. Industrial and intensive farming is destroying our soils, our water tables and the biodiversity around the world.
As committed distillers, we cannot ignore the way our base ingredients grow and
are transformed. Our lifestyle choices lead us to reduce our impact on the planet and this has implications.
We aim to make high quality, mindful products.
Alcohol can harm our health and it can help us get better. Dosis vevenum fecit: the dose makes the poison, as said
Paracelsus.
Its consumption is a question of balance. A good high that makes you happy, stimulates interesting conversations and fills you with good memories requires good alcohol. Natural Booze for us means the search for the
purest expression:
– of the fruit, plant, vegetable or grain,
– of the soil,
– of the personality of the distiller.
They will always result in a unique and
original product because no distiller, no terroir,
no still, no season and no fruit is the same.
The standardization of tastes proposed by
industry isn’t interesting for us.
Natural Booze will therefore be defined by :
– craft production,
– clean distillates, without the use of additives,
– respect for nature
