Tsipouro

Tsipouro is an un-aged brandy from Greece and in particular Thessaly, Epirus, Macedonia. Tsipouro is a strong distilled spirit containing 40–45% alcohol by volume and is traditionally produced from grape pomace (the residue of the winepress) or, alternatively, directly from wine after the grapes and juices have been separated[citation needed]. Tsipouro is typically produced in two varieties: pure, which is the default, and anise-flavored, which is a relatively new variation introduced during the 1900s. While tsipouro is usually not aged in barrels, barrel-aged versions are also available. It is similar to tsikoudia produced on the island of Crete, but unlike tsikoudia, which is single-distilled and contains no additional flavorings, tsipouro is typically double-distilled and may sometimes include spices, i.e. anise. According to tradition, the first production of tsipouro was the work of Greek Orthodox monks in the 14th century on Mount Athos in Macedonia, Greece. Ripe dark grapes are passed through crusher/destemmers. The mass is left to settle for a few days, just enough to get fermentation started. Formerly, wine would be collected, and only the solid residue would be used for tsipouro in an attempt to get the most out of the plant. Today some producers use the whole of the pulp, without taking out the must for wine production. This results to a superior product, called "apostagma", sold at approximately twice the price of tsipouro.

Source: Wikipedia