Spain has a long tradition in the production of schnapps orujo: it was the "drink of the poor" par excellence. In all the towns of our geography this drink was elaborated until, at the end of the 19th century, this practice was declared illegal because it was said that homemade distillates contained highly toxic elements, capable of producing death. However, in Galicia they have been consumed since time immemorial, not only as a drink, but as a remedy for various diseases. Undoubtedly, the first use of alcohol was as a medicinal substance.
TYPES:
-Orujos jóvenes: are those orujos that after the distillation process have been directly packed and bottled, without being enriched by means of any method. These orujos have the characteristic of being very white and crystalline.
-Orujos añejos: those that are left to rest in barrels of oak or other woods after the distillation process. In the time that they remain in the barrels, the orujos acquires different characteristics, especially aromatic and of color, being of a more yellowish or greenish color.
-Aromatics orujos: these are the orujos that have a certain aroma or aromas given by the variety or varieties of grapes with which they have been made.
-Aromatized orujos: they are the orujos to which the maceration of herbs of different types has been added in order to endow them with other aromas. In addition, with the admixture of herbs and depending on whether they contain pigment, they are colored.
