France

A one off small batch of a couple hundred bottles only. Made in the Emile Pernot distillery in cooperation with an American crafts distiller. Highly appreciated by the absinthe community.

Produced by Franck Choisne, owner of Combier Distillery, using homegrown Loire valley wormwood and a goal to make a really good absinthe based on an old historic recipe the L'Entete enters the absinthe scene. And it's quite an entrance.

This was first named La Fée Absinthe. With the claim of being the only absinthe approved by the Absinthe Museum in Auvers-sur-Oise one would hope it would be decent. I guess money talks.

From Lemercier, who makes several absinthes and also other liqueurs, this is the lower strength absinthe. At only 45% but with a taste close enough to the stronger ones they make.

One of several absinthes from the Lemercier distillery. This is also the most decent one of them but given the many better options available today, it's more a novelty item these days.

Take the original Abisinthe 72 and add wormwood oil or add wormwood to the coloring step and this is what you get. It's bitter but not better.

During a short period of time several producers started adding wormwood to the coloring or wormwood oil to increase thujone content and get a stupid marketing point. Problem is, they all come out bitter as well.

The first imported absinthe to be legally sold in the U.S after they changed the regulation in 2007. Made by Ted Breaux of Jade Liqueurs.

This is a little something extra special from the Island of Corsica. I guess the special ends there since the drink itself presents nothing special at all.

One of a few attempts to recreate various absinthe recipes on the different scales of quality found in old distillers manuals.

One of a few attempts to recreate various absinthe recipes on the different scales of quality found in old distillers manuals.

The first absinthe to be released from Jade Liqueurs and the Combier distillery in Saumur. Long awaited for in the absinthe community and pretty well recieved.

The Oxygénée brand was a very successful absinthe during the Belle Epoque. The Cusenier brand has since been bought by Pernod Ricard and this product was merely a testing of the market and was discontinued in 2001.

Another one of those first essence mixes to hit the market in late 1990's. Also the only one to be found in stores in Sweden for many years. A shame - that's all I can say.

Pernod Fils' first absinthe with the Pernod name on the label since the French ban in 1915. They claim it's based on the original recipe and maybe the looked at it quickly and then decided to do something completely different. This is not even close to vintage Pernod absinthe.