THE HOUSE OF PERNOD AND SONS
Since the date to which we refer, that is, since 1855,
production has increased enormously.
To what can we attribute this astonishing prosperity,
this continuous development which only a small number
of industries can boast? Quite simply, to the firm intent of
the heads of the house of Pernod to always provide a
superior product, never yielding to the temptation to realize
greater profits by buying cheap raw materials of lower
quality. This temptation was offered to them in a
particularly seductive form when the French vineyards of
the South, devastated by powdery mildew and later by
phylloxera, could no longer provide, except at exorbitant
prices, the spirits distilled from wine which form the basis
of absinthe liqueur. It then seemed quite natural to replace
the proof spirit of wine with alcohols from beets, grains,
and potatoes; this is what was done by many distillers
who, noticing the public favour given to the product of the
House of Pernod, had installed absinthe factories almost
everywhere. By a happy inspiration, Mssrs. Pernod
decided to remain faithful to proof-spirit of wine; this
resolution made the fortune of their house; the higher
quality of their product, attested to by the preference
accorded to it by consumers, is due primarily to the
exclusive use of alcohol made by distillation of wine; it's
not only that this alcohol gives to Pernod absinthe the fine
flavor which distinguishes it, but that it makes for an
inoffensive drink from a health standpoint, since it saves
consumers from the morbid effects of bad alcohols.
