In 1833 there were about 10,000 registered distilleries in Norway. By 1845 this number had fallen to 700, and five years
later there were only forty distilleries left. This was due partly to new legislation that made it unprofitable to distil
small quantities, and partly to new production methods that gave far cleaner and tastier spirits.
Up to the early 19th century small and primitive pot stills were still in use. Joh. Pistorius, a German, revolutionized the
distilling process by developing the so-called Pistorius apparatus, by which the pot stills were coupled up to enable continual
distillation.
In Norway the eminent Jørgen B. Lysholm introduced the new principles. When establishing his new distillery in Trondheim in
1821, he installed a so-called semi-Pistorius apparatus, which not only was far more efficient but also gave a better quality
spirit than that of his competitors at the time.