Arak El Massaya is a traditional Lebanese arak produced by Massaya in the Bekaa Valley. It is made from grape spirit distilled from the indigenous Obeidi grape variety, with green anise sourced from the slopes of Mount Hermon. The production process is based on a traditional triple distillation in Charentais copper alembic stills heated with vine wood. Anise is added before the third distillation, giving the spirit its characteristic aromatic profile. After distillation, the arak is matured for approximately two years in handmade clay jars from Beit Chabab, following a traditional Lebanese aging method that preserves the character of the spirit without the influence of oak. Before bottling, it is diluted with well water from the estate. Arak El Massaya is bottled at 50% ABV and is produced using traditional methods that combine indigenous raw materials with long-established Lebanese distillation practices.
Producer
Massaya is a Lebanese wine and arak producer based in Tanaïl in the Bekaa Valley. The company was founded in the early 1990s by brothers Sami and Ramzi Ghosn after they returned to their family estate, which had been abandoned during the Lebanese Civil War. Arak was the company's first product, introduced in the mid-1990s, while wine production began in 1998 in collaboration with the French wine families Hébrard of Bordeaux and Brunier of the Rhône Valley. Today, Massaya produces a range of wines and traditional Lebanese arak using grapes sourced from its own vineyards in the Bekaa Valley and Mount Lebanon. Its arak is produced through a traditional triple distillation of grape spirit in copper alembic stills with the addition of anise, followed by maturation in handmade clay jars from Beit Chabab. In addition to its production facilities in Tanaïl, the company operates a winery and visitor center in Faqra, Mount Lebanon. Massaya exports its products to numerous international markets and is considered one of the producers that contributed to the revival of Lebanon's wine and arak industries after the end of the civil war.
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