history

who was actually the first to expertly soak in the scent of a fine distillate? who was the first to examine and assess the lucidity of this fluid. well, we simply do not know.

between 100 ad and 900 ad a fruitful fusion between greek science and old oriental scholarship starts to evolve. italy mid 12th century: the technology is roughly known but do they actually distill alcohol? magister salernus is the first to mention the ‘burning water’ in his ‘compendium salerni’ in 1160. until the end of the 15th century thaddaeus florentinus is the most acknowledged authority in the matters of distilling.

it was a long way from the first accidently created distillate to ‘aqua ardens’, from ‘aqua ardens’ to ‘aqua vitae’ and from there to the fine distillates we appreciate today. equestrian warriors, tar makers, philosophers, doctors, pharmacists, alchemists, perfumers, monks, scientists and tax collectors – they all have their part in the history of the ‘burning water’.