Welcome to the wonderful world of Jullius – the first artisan distillery in Israel

The distillery was founded in 2008, with one dream in mind: to distill the highest quality, handcrafted alcohol from only the finest, local ingredients.

However, the pursuit of quality and locality is only part of the story. Distillation is first and foremost a form of art. It is a sublime way to turn raw materials into spirit and spirit into liquid. Many refer to the production of alcohol as a chemical action, or as an industrial act. It is the belief of Jullius, that the drinking of alcoholic beverages belongs to the world of the alchemists. The ancient Chinese and Arab alchemists dreamed of the philosopher’s stone “elixir” – a substance that could convert any metal into gold. Our philosopher’s stone is the pot still. As for the alcohol? Alcohol is pure gold!

In a long process, which may be described as walking on the edge of a cliff while tipsy, the Jullius project came into being, pioneering a totally new path in the spirits sector. Jullius was the first in Israel to distill local fruit distillates (known as “schnapps” or “eau de vie”), including from a number of grape varieties. They were also the pioneers in distilling honey, gin, and a bitter digestif (“bitters”) on a basis of local plants.

The principle that guides Yuval Hargil (“Joov”) – the founder and distiller – is to only produce spirits that he likes to drink himself. Pure alcohol, without additives and unnecessary shortcuts, is produced with harmony and care of the environment.

The distillery, the philosopher’s stone, which was built by copper specialists from Germany, is powered by solar energy and its cooler and condenser is four times more efficient than traditional old-generation distillation. The naturalness of the fruit is maintained through extremely small distillation batches. The heart of the distillate preserves the pureness of the fruit aromas.
This is why nothing needs to be added to the spirit. Only the raw material is allowed to express itself, or more correctly to sing. Successful distillation is like good poetry – a distillate manages to capture a moment, an elusive mindset, which if not captured, is lost forever.

Jullius Distillery’s Manifesto

• Handcrafted distillation
• Only local raw materials
• Natural ingredients
• Recycling of water
• Recycling of waste
• Use of solar energy
• Drink at least 2 shots before bedtime!