Pernod had on of its biggest distilleries in Pontarlier, France, next to the river Doubs. Daily production was up to 125,000 liters of Absinthe per day in 1896. A notable disaster occured on a Sunday, August 11, 1901. Mr. Borel, the plant manager was away the day a ferocious thunderstorm broke over the town. Lightning hit the central dome of the plant and ran through the metal framework. The electrical charge reached the tanks full of alcohol and set the whole plant into fire! Inside the factory Absinthe bottles melted or exploded with the heat.
The burning of the Pernod Fils Absinthe Factory
Catastrophe was averted when a worker, Francois Poimboeuf, had the presence of mind to run into the cellars and open all the vaucets. The underground pipes poured thousands of liters of burning Absinthe into the Doubs river, flavoring it with Absinthe for miles downstream. Imagine the big louche it created! The fire arrested production at the plant and gave free rein to Pernods competitors, eager to gobble the market share. After the fire the plant was rebuilt with fireproofing and the latest technical machinery. The new factory was finished just in time for the centennial of the company in 1905. Today the Pernod factory with its old buildings can still be seen in Pontarlier. But Nestlé has some production facilities on this area, therefore you just can see the buildings from the outside.
