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The history
I discovered the companies main building had been changed into a museum: "Musée Goupil", established at the Aquitaine 33, Bordeaux.
Through this museum I found a short history of the company.
"In 1852, Pierre Secrestat started a liqueur mill in Bordeaux in the Rue Notre-Dame. He was famous for his two specialities "Le Caramel", but even more the "Bitter Secrestat", based on gentian and peels of bitter orange fruits. Warmly recommended as a reinforcing potion and mainly as fever expelling medicine.
The production extended and the distillery reached her borders. So in 1898 Pierre Secrestat ordered to build a new distillery along the Medoc. The building got three stages; a mirror for the success of the company.
The yeast department, in the soutterain, was provided with an interior of glass in cement. It was possible to store 1½ million litre half product (eau-de-vie).
About 1920 Bordeaux counted about 30 plain distilleries and a dozen of renommee "Houses" (Maisons), making world wide famous liqueurs and wines. The House Secrestat was selling - next to their bitters - also wines and home made aperitifs based on kola nuts. Also liqueurs like Anisette, Cacao, Curacao and Cherry-Brandy were made.
The company ended 1973. Since 1991 the Musée Goupil is established in the main building, mainly a museum for industrial design. There are still several objects from the old distillery from ± 1920, like alembics, barrels for extracting fruit liqueurs, filtering barrels and storage barrels. Also various company machines from different periods are exposed.
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