History | Castro Spirits

1898

The “TENTOURA CASTRO – G.P HAHALIS” distillery is a 100% Greek Company and one of the best known and most traditional in the Patras region. The family business traces its roots to the “fragrant” island of Chios in the 19^th century, which is renowned throughout the world for its exclusive production of mastic.

Grandfather Georgios Hahalis who lived at Agios Georgios Sikousis, one of the fortified villages on the island of Chios, was knowledgeable in all the distillation secrets. His knowledge surrounding the art of preparing ouzo and other alcoholic drinks has been handed down to the subsequent generations in the family, which has to this day faithfully adhered to the traditional recipes.
1939

The business relocated to the foothills of Patras Castle in 1939.When Panagiotis Hahalis (2^nd generation) relocated the business from Chios to Patras, his inventory included the key prerequisites for laying down the foundations of a successful business: commitment to quality, respect for the consumer, knowledge of extraction – distillation, a keen ability in selecting the raw materials ...and of course the family’s secret recipes.

The distillery customers at the time were accustomed to forming small groups and a pleasant atmosphere to indulge in drink tasting before purchasing.
1960

Panagiotis and Eleni Hahalis (2^nd generation) have provided a new impetus to distillation since 1960, which has now become a nationwide concern. Its products and specifically Ouzo, Brandy, Tentoura liqueur, Mavrodaphne wine, Mastic liqueur and Vermouth are now shipped almost throughout all of Greece.
1993

Production has relocated since 1993 to a modern processing plant in the Romanos region, which is renowned for its excellent water quality and boasts suitable environmental conditions for properly ageing and storing extracts and distillates in oak barrels and stainless steel tanks. The preservation of the traditional methods of preparing drinks in conjunction with modern bottling and standardisation methods have assisted the company’s development and have led it into exporting. The offices and the distillery products sales area have continued operating in the centre of the city of Patras.
1999

In 1999 we delved into the past and were the first to promote the TENTOURA liqueur. We researched its history and employed modern marketing methods to develop the TENTOURA CASTRO product, which we placed in the commercial market and also into the Art and Culture domain. Georgios Hahalis (3^rd generation) perfected the recipe by only using natural extracts, while Efthalia Katsigianni – Hahali artistically designed and attended to the overall production in a manner befitting an exotic beauty like the TENTOURA CASTRO. The Tentoura legend from this point forth reinvented itself and won the public’s favour. It expanded into the international markets, attracted journalistic and scientific interest, became a point of reference for the city of Patras and was an inspiration for artists in their creations.

TENTOURA CASTRO, as the main product of our distillery, thereafter was the inspiration for exceptional products such as: TENTOURA with SOUR CHERRY, SEMI-SWEET TENTOURA, TENTOURA syrup, TENTOURA LOUKOUMI (greek sweet delight) and TENTOURA xeroloukoumo (greek sweet delight in a more compact form than Loukoumi) - the first black Loukoumi in the market – as well as TENTOURA with MASTIC, one of the products that resulted from the scientific research Project that was undertaken by our Company in cooperation with the Democritus University of Thrace.
2012

In 2012, the research Project entitled “Use of organic active essential oils in the production of alcoholic drinks and confectionery products with potential health benefits”, commenced in cooperation with the Democritus University of Thrace. The aim of the Project is to produce new or improved alcoholic drinks and sweets that contain natural ingredients with potential health benefits, by utilising the antimicrobial and antioxidant agents in essential oils and their extracts.

During the scientific research, the distillery Laboratory serves as a research and experimental centre, for not only anise extracts and essential oils (as an ingredient of Ouzo and Tsipouro Castro), cinnamon and Chios mastic (ingredients of TENTOURA CASTRO) and which directly relate to this Project, but also for a multitude of herbs, seeds and fruits, as ingredients for the alcoholic drinks that are produced by our distillery.

Our company has utilised the research results in producing new products such as the range of CASTRO liqueurs in cubes produced with 100% natural extracts. It has also produced improved products like the TENTOURA with MASTIC liqueur, where the aroma and flavour of Chios mastic are more discernible in relation to the classic TENTOURA CASTRO.

The research Project was completed with positive scientific results. Specifically, laboratory (in vitro) studies undertaken by the Democritus University of Thrace in cooperation with our distillery have proven the antioxidant and anticancer properties in the natural extracts and essential oils of cinnamon and anise, as well as the anticancer properties of the natural extracts and essential oils in Chios mastic, as these are contained in specific products of our company.
Today

Our distillery continues to combine the traditional method for producing alcoholic drinks (extraction – distillation) with the latest technology in their standardisation.

As part of our on-going concern and passion for quality, our company aims to scientifically evolve and investigate the products that it produces and makes available to the consumer public by employing innovation and progress with a sense of responsibility. The scientific research that commenced in 2012 is still continuing and primarily targets aromatic herbs produced in Greece, in order to develop new products by enriching the range of liqueurs with natural distillation extracts.

We participate in international and domestic trade expos, competitions and festivals with positive results, distinctions and awards for our products. We are continually recommending composite and original creations to the public, such as cocktails, cooking and pastry recipes that contain our products, in cooperation with recognised chefs and bartenders.