Book publication The Village Distilleries of Maramures - a Romanian Odyssey 2015  by Ian Macilwain
Open a window into a lost world ............... In 2 1/2 hours from Gatwick you can fly to Transylvania. From Cluj or Tirgu Mures drive north for three hours and cross the mountains into the hidden county of Maramures There you will find one of the last truly rural economies in Europe - hay being scythed in the fields bullocks pulling carts, people walking to work in large groups and all in the most pristine landscape imaginable. In the little villages a tell tale plume of smoke reveals one of the age old practices - the distillation of fermented plums pears and apples into fruit brandy - Horinca- double distilled for personal and family consumption. Rarely matured,it is drunk as an accompaniment to meals and to celebrate festivals and special occasions. In this book I have attempted to capture the strange magical atmosphere of these village distilleries and to provide basic information about their processes. I want this to form both a celebration and a record of a culture threatened by rapid development.

publication March 2015

 

the author 2012

 

 Foreword by William Blacker Author "Along the enchanted way"
The Village Distilleries of Maramures - A Romanian Odyssey