Musée des Eaux-de-Vie

Stills, absinthe and ten thousand miniature bottles in Lapoutroie's old coaching inn. Free entry, free tasting.

Lapoutroie (9 km from the gîte)

Era

Former coaching inn

Tour length

Self-guided, at your own pace

Location

Lapoutroie (9 km from the gîte)

From

Free, tasting included

The site

What to know

In the middle of Lapoutroie, the village's 18th-century coaching inn holds a distilling collection put together piece by piece since 1985 by Monette and René de Miscault. It walks you through every stage of making fruit brandy the old way, using the original equipment. The visit is self-guided, so you set your own pace, and it ends with a free tasting: eaux-de-vie, liqueurs and creams, bitter beer, gin, absinthe, brandied cherries. There is a shop if you want to take something home, and the Brasserie du Pays Welche, run by the same family, is directly across the street.

History

The story of the place

The building is Lapoutroie's old coaching inn, in the middle of the village. The de Miscault family installed the equipment from their own distillery, founded in 1859, then kept adding to it over the years: farm stills, an 800-litre still, a smuggler's still. The absinthe rooms tell the story of a French ban imposed in 1915 that would last eighty years, with bottles, carafes, fountains and spoons from before 1915, then a case devoted to the pastis and anisettes that replaced it. Another room holds three hundred bottles of 1950s liqueurs donated by the French liqueur trade association, all genuine and still full.

The must-sees

What you really shouldn't miss during your visit.

The stills

Copper of every shape and origin: farm stills, an 800-litre still, and a still built for smuggling.

Ten thousand miniatures

Eaux-de-vie, liqueurs, whisky, gin, vodka, tequila, from every country and in every shape. Hard to walk away from.

The 1950s liqueurs

Three hundred genuine, still-full bottles donated by the French liqueur trade association. Several brands are still on the shelves today.

Absinthe

Bottles, carafes, fountains and spoons from before the 1915 ban, then the pastis and anisettes that took its place.

The cellar equipment

Zesters, bottle moulds, a corking machine, demijohns, carboys, syrup makers and filters.

The tasting

Free at the end of the visit, from the family distillery: eaux-de-vie, liqueurs, creams, bitter beer, gin, absinthe, brandied cherries.

Opening hours

Open: Every day, all year round: 9am to 12pm and 2pm to 6pm
Closed: 25 December

Tickets

Self-guided visit and tasting
No booking needed, for individuals and families
Free
Groups of 15 or more
Guided tour, tasting and a free miniature bottle. By appointment, 18 and over.
€4.00
Museum and brewery package (groups)
Guided tour of the brewery with two beers, then the museum with a tasting
€8.00
School groups and under-18s
On request
Parking
Cars and coaches
Free

In pictures

The place from several angles, to prepare your visit.

Our tips before you go

19 km from the gîte via Hachimette, under twenty minutes. Free parking right outside.
2This is the wet-weather fallback around here: it is all indoors, open every day of the year, and it costs nothing.
39am to 12pm, then 2pm to 6pm: the lunch break is real, do not turn up at 12:30pm.
4The tasting is free and comes at the end. Decide who is driving before you set off.
5For children: a fruit-themed activity sheet and a tasting of homemade cordial.
6Groups of 15 or more switch to a guided tour at €4 per person, by appointment only.
7The Brasserie du Pays Welche is across the street, same family. Groups can do both back to back for €8.
8The museum is wheelchair accessible.