Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Mathieu Sabbagh spent fifteen years navigating the corporate corridors of Pernod Ricard, working on the relaunches of absinthe and Suze, before packing it in, driving around France looking for something real, and ending up buying a mobile still in Beaune. He's now the sole travelling distiller in Burgundy, running Alambic Bourguignon and his own label Sab's — and in this episode we pull apart how that happened and why it matters.
We talk about the slow industrial death of France's once-thriving network of mobile distilleries, the customs regulations that govern when a still is allowed to run, and the three-pot preheating system that means someone has to be up at 4am during distilling season. Mat explains the difference between Marc de Bourgogne and Fin de Bourgogne, why Burgundy's grapes (Pinot noir and Chardonnay harvested at full maturity) make a fundamentally different spirit to cognac or Armagnac, and how he sources wine barrels from some of the most sought-after producers on earth because, quite simply, they're next door.
We taste through an extraordinary range: four gins (including a navy strength, a barrel-aged expression and one infused with Pinot pomace), aged Marc and Fin finished in Islay whisky and mezcal casks, and three unaged fruit eaux-de-vie from apricot, mirabelle and pear.
The conversation keeps circling back to the same idea: a great spirit is just great ingredients honestly handled.
Find Mathieu and the full Sab's range at alambic-bourguignon.com.
00:00:00 Introduction & Tristan's upcoming French spirits book 00:00:45 Mathieu's path: bartending, Baccarat Crystal & New York in the 90s
00:02:34 Inside Pernod Ricard: reviving absinthe and Suze
00:07:18 Leaving the corporate world and finding a still
00:09:29 Why Beaune? The mobile distillery and its Burgundy address book
00:15:39 France's vanishing distilling tradition
00:23:50 Life on the still: 4am starts, customs law & the three-pot system
00:28:39 Marc de Bourgogne — world-class spirit from winemakers' leftovers
00:32:16 Steam injection and the hybrid still
00:40:51 Tasting the gins: juniper-forward, barrel-aged & pomace-infused
00:48:35 Marc & Fin de Bourgogne: the AOC explained
00:54:47 Experimental casks: Islay whisky and mezcal finishes
01:03:47 The fruit spirits: apricot, mirabelle and pear
01:15:39 Seasonality, terroir and the honest spirit
01:18:07 The forgotten history of brandy as preservation
01:26:05 Finding an audience for Burgundy spirits
01:37:20 Making spirits vs launching a brand
01:39:17 Drink less, drink better, drink together
01:41:25 What's next: vermouth and gin & juice
📷 Follow me on Instagram - instagram.com/tristanstephenson
📚 I've written quite a few books on spirits and cocktails - thecuriousbartender.com
Mathieu Sabbagh spent fifteen years navigating the corporate corridors of Pernod Ricard, working on the relaunches of absinthe and Suze, before packing it in, driving around France looking for something real, and ending up buying a mobile still in Beaune. He's now the sole travelling distiller in Burgundy, running Alambic Bourguignon and his own label Sab's — and in this episode we pull apart how that happened and why it matters.
We talk about the slow industrial death of France's once-thriving network of mobile distilleries, the customs regulations that govern when a still is allowed to run, and the three-pot preheating system that means someone has to be up at 4am during distilling season. Mat explains the difference between Marc de Bourgogne and Fin de Bourgogne, why Burgundy's grapes (Pinot noir and Chardonnay harvested at full maturity) make a fundamentally different spirit to cognac or Armagnac, and how he sources wine barrels from some of the most sought-after producers on earth because, quite simply, they're next door.
We taste through an extraordinary range: four gins (including a navy strength, a barrel-aged expression and one infused with Pinot pomace), aged Marc and Fin finished in Islay whisky and mezcal casks, and three unaged fruit eaux-de-vie from apricot, mirabelle and pear.
The conversation keeps circling back to the same idea: a great spirit is just great ingredients honestly handled.
Find Mathieu and the full Sab's range at alambic-bourguignon.com.
00:00:00 Introduction & Tristan's upcoming French spirits book 00:00:45 Mathieu's path: bartending, Baccarat Crystal & New York in the 90s
00:02:34 Inside Pernod Ricard: reviving absinthe and Suze
00:07:18 Leaving the corporate world and finding a still
00:09:29 Why Beaune? The mobile distillery and its Burgundy address book
00:15:39 France's vanishing distilling tradition
00:23:50 Life on the still: 4am starts, customs law & the three-pot system
00:28:39 Marc de Bourgogne — world-class spirit from winemakers' leftovers
00:32:16 Steam injection and the hybrid still
00:40:51 Tasting the gins: juniper-forward, barrel-aged & pomace-infused
00:48:35 Marc & Fin de Bourgogne: the AOC explained
00:54:47 Experimental casks: Islay whisky and mezcal finishes
01:03:47 The fruit spirits: apricot, mirabelle and pear
01:15:39 Seasonality, terroir and the honest spirit
01:18:07 The forgotten history of brandy as preservation
01:26:05 Finding an audience for Burgundy spirits
01:37:20 Making spirits vs launching a brand
01:39:17 Drink less, drink better, drink together
01:41:25 What's next: vermouth and gin & juice
📷 Follow me on Instagram - instagram.com/tristanstephenson
📚 I've written quite a few books on spirits and cocktails - thecuriousbartender.com
