Spirits first appeared in the Middle Ages with the invention of the alembic by Arab alchemists. The alembic is a distillation technique that inspired many around the world to create spirits. In the mid-13th century, Montpellier physician Arnaud de Villeneuve named the liquid obtained from the alembic "aqua vitae" (water of life) and prescribed it to his patients as a medicinal remedy. In the early 15th century, during the Hundred Years' War, the Dutch developed distilleries that gained a strong reputation worldwide. Later, in Charente, the French began distilling as well. The success was significant, and Charentais distilleries even overshadowed Dutch ones. Today, spirits are well-known and enjoyed worldwide. Additionally, the Wines & Spirits category is the third-largest net contributor to France’s trade balance. There are 46 major categories of spirits, including bitters, pastis, eaux-de-vie, liqueurs, rum, vodka, etc. These 46 categories are divided into two parts: simple spirits or eaux-de-vie (eaux-de-vie, rum, vodka, etc.) and composed spirits (bitters, anise-flavored drinks, liqueurs, etc.). Regarding the production of spirits, they are not made in the same way as wine. Wines are fermented, while spirits are distilled or macerated. Moreover, spirits contain at least 15% alcohol, much higher than in wines.

Here are some numbers to illustrate the spirits industry. In 2014, the French consumed a total of 352.2 million liters of spirits. Leading the list of favorite spirits in France is whisky in first place, followed by anise-flavored drinks (such as pastis), and in third place is vodka, a trendy drink among young people. Like wine tourism, there is "spiritourism," which involves visiting distilleries and/or tasting spirits. Spiritourism attracted a total of 1 million visitors in 2014. Regarding exports, rankings can be divided into two categories: volume and value. When it comes to export volume, the United States leads, followed by the United Kingdom, and then Germany. In terms of export value, the United States still ranks first, but Singapore is second, and China is third, showing that Asia has a strong appetite for French products and is willing to spend significantly to bring a bit of France home.

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