I had the opportunity this week to visit Connecticut’s largest distiller. And yes, the free sample at the tour’s end was bracing. But it’s not what you think. Here in the “land of steady habits” it’s not some new fangled flavored vodka or artisanal whiskey that’s being made, but witch hazel, an all natural skin toner and remedy for burns, cuts, scrapes, bug bites and a variety of other maladies.
Witch hazel is a small tree or shrub growing in the understory of eastern American forests, but most profusely in Connecticut. Contrary to nature’s usual rules, it’s crinkly, star-like yellow flowers bloom in October and November and even well into winter when snow is on the ground. The brush is cut in colder months when the plants are dormant and begin growing back the following spring. Witch hazel can be harvested sustainably about every seven years.
With a contagious enthusiasm for both the process and the product, the company’s Bryan Jackowitz took me through the factory where we crossed concrete floors below high ceilings and walked across catwalks among a maze of pipes. The atmosphere was suffused with the vaguely sweet, slightly pungent scent of the product.
Raw material comes into the plant as wood chips, is further chopped and placed into squat conical silos where it’s regularly aerated. Purified well water is heated to steam and fed into tubby stainless kettles filled with witch hazel pulp. Essential oils are extracted in the steam which is then chilled in condensers, returning to liquid form and mixed with 14% alcohol as a preservative. The liquid is then pumped into tall stainless steel holding tanks. About 70% is shipped out in bulk and the rest is bottled directly for consumers.
I’d used witch hazel over the years, although not recently, and was glad again to bask in its clean, healthy feeling glow. But I hadn’t realized the range of products using it as an ingredient until I looked at a display cabinet in the company president’s office. So on my way home I stopped in a large chain drug store to read labels.
I found witch hazel in shampoos and conditioners, in shaving creams, depilatories, sunscreens, clarifying lotions, face creams, and bath splashes. It was in acne preparations, psoriasis and hemorrhoid creams, topical antibacterial lotions, foot sprays, deodorants and insect bite formulas. Toothpastes and mouthwashes also contained witch hazel. It was in brand names like Neutrogena, Olay, Noxzema, Suave, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Stridex, Clearasil, Tom’s of Maine, Preparation H, L’Oreal, and Johnson & Johnson.
Witch hazel is a humble plant that few people recognize even though millions around the world enjoy its benefits. Although the distillate is an ancient formula, its all natural pedigree and sustainable harvest is the envy of many contemporary products. Try a bottle and savor a small essence of Connecticut’s landscape.
