Christmas meal: Bows distillery in Laure-Minervois, from seed to label

“A convergence of passions!” This is how Benoît Garcia talks about the trigger that triggered his move to Laure-Minervois as a distiller eight years ago, with his wife. Originally from Clermont l’Hérault, he worked in climate engineering before launching into the production of spirits. “I love technique, machines, technology, graphics but also the earth and I am an epicurean.”

With all this energy, he took on quite a challenge. Convert the former Gibalaux wine estate into a distillery where cereals are harvested to make spirits. Stage name: Bows (Brave Occitan Wild Spirit which means the wild spirit of the courageous Occitan). “We cultivate 30 hectares of land. We have two cereals, barley and sorghum”he explains. Two cereals grown organically, which require less water and are resistant to disease. “These grains bring complex and unique flavors to our spirits.”

The spirits age mainly in French oak barrels

In the old cellar, the concrete vats have given way to a slab on which two enormous stills sit. We are indeed in a distillery. In order to respect the environment, Benoît Garcia has developed processes to save water (50 times less water than with traditional techniques) and energy. The cereals are malted on site using a process that saves water and energy. The distillation is done in an artisanal manner in two stills. One in copper heated with an open flame and another in stainless steel which allows vacuum distillation (which reduces the boiling point). The spirits age mainly in French oak barrels, sometimes in barrels that have contained other alcohols. Whiskey, gin, brandy, rum are part of the range offered.

Excellence in sustainable production, innovation to offer exceptional products, this is the philosophy of Bows distillery. With a goal for 2030: the creation of a fully self-sufficient productive unit, combining solar, wind and biomass energy.