Lemercier is one of the oldest French absinthes, whose name is forever associated with the so-called Belle Époque (late XNUMXth – early XNUMXth century), when it was in vogue among all walks of life. Today, this drink, like two hundred years ago, is produced at a distillery in the town of Fougerols (Dordogne department) in southern France. Moreover, for two hundred years, the old distillery passed from father to son and today still belongs to the Lemercier family.
The Lemercier family has been making tinctures and fruit liqueurs for many years. Aquitaine, where Fugerols is located, has long been known as a sunny land full of fragrant herbs and flowers.
In 1811, the head of the family built a new distillery. This year is considered the founding date of La distillerie Lemercier.
Throughout the XNUMXth century, the company prospered, and its range of products and sales increased. The purest distilled absinthe “Lemercier” fell in love both in Paris and in distant Burgundy.
At the end of the 1915th century, the owner of the company, Nicolas Lemercier, traveled to Burgundy himself to exchange large batches of absinthe for batches of Burgundy wines. Such a deal was beneficial for both him and the Burgundian entrepreneurs. Thanks to this, in XNUMX, when the production of absinthe was banned in France, the Lemercier company, although it suffered losses, did not go bankrupt, but simply engaged in the trade in Burgundy wines, gradually reorienting production to the production of fruit liqueurs.
In 1991, Alain Aureggio, the son of Isadora Lemercier, took over the company. Being an inquisitive person, he devoted a lot of time to reading the records of his ancestors – the famous absinthe blenders. By 1998, when the production of this drink was allowed in France, Monsieur Auregio had already renovated the old copper alambic room and even built a special test bench to develop new recipes for wormwood tincture.
In order to see how real distilled absinthe is made, Maitre Alain made a special trip to Switzerland. True, he prefers not to name his teacher, because in Switzerland the production of absinthe was legally allowed only seven years later.
Already in 1998, the first batch of Lemercier absinthe was released, adapted to French law (with a reduced content of thujone). Especially for export to the USA, the company produces absinthe with a strength of 45%. In 2010, this drink won a silver medal at an international competition in San Diego.
Types of absinthe Lemercier
The following types of Lemercier absinthe are produced (thujone content – 10 mg per liter):
- Lemercier 72 – distilled absinthe with a strength of 72%;
- 45 Amer – absinthe adapted for the USA;
- Coeur double distillation – colorless absinthe double distillation;
- Coeur triple distillation – colorless absinthe triple distillation;
- Green Demon is a premium distilled absinthe colored with natural herbs.