January 18, 2017

THE SECRET HISTORY OF WOMEN DISTILLERS

 Women are making strides in the spirit world, but the vibe is still overwhelmingly macho. ‘Twasn’t always thus. It’s not that there weren’t some serious roadblocks thrown up against distilling women, like when 50,000 of them were burned at the stake in the 1500s (more on that later). But before the Industrial Revolution belched its giant smog cloud over the Earth, women were distilling much of the spirits being consumed. And if you look at distilling through the lens that most (male) historians and academics do, it makes sense: Distilling stuff is essentially “women’s work.” You have to follow a recipe, it takes a long, boring time where not much happens, and it can be done at home. Basic distilling is a back-burner type of operation that can be quickly monitored between runs out to the barn to milk cows, as shrieking children use your apron strings to turn you into a living maypole and hubby hollers at you to bring him a sandwich.