Last Sunday several of us here in the Midwest, had the opportunity to taste some pre-ban Pernod Fils. I suggested that if we were going to do this, we had to do it correctly. I pulled out the vintage glasses for this tasting. Sadly, I didn't take notes at the time, but I will fake it as much as possible.

The color had turned a deep brown after so many years. It however retained quite a nice nose while neat. Upon the addition of water, it quickly louched. By the time we reached a 1:1 ratio, the drink was pretty much fully louched.

As per suggestion, we tasted the drink at 1:1. Our thoughts were that it needed more water, so we continued until we reached 2:1. Now the drink had a large bouquet. The one thing that struck me the most was the lingering intense taste of autumn. I figure that the age along with higher quality wormwood flowers brought on this taste.

Anyway, here are the few pictures that I took.

Coming up on 1:1.

and 2:1.

Didn't we end up bringing it up to 3:1 or 4:1?

The highest we might have gotten it to was 2.5:1. 4:1 would have brought the level in the glass to within half an inch from the top.

Thank you for posting those pics! It was nice to revisit that evening.

It was a good time. Can't say I could afford to do the tasting again in the near future, but I would certainly be up for the sushi again!

Yeah! We should go out for sushi again! I would still like to try Tampopo.

Perruche_Verte, Green Magus and I are getting together for another tasting. We are going to have another sample of Pernod Fils from about the same era as well as a sample of Tarragona. I think that this will be my final vintage absinthe tasting!

I am working on a review right now.

You just eat around the string and you will be fine.

Lucky bastards.





<------- Envious.

That night we also enjoyed the Swizzle la bleau and the new ADN Pontarlier #2. It was yumminess all around!

Having had the privilege to sample vintage Pernod Fils I will offer my humble review of the tasting.

The nose of the bottle was much more intense than I had imagined. There was a considerable amount of heat! I had assumed that a bottle over 90 years old would have mellowed out much more. The scent was very fragrant and full of spice! It was very well balanced and was unlike anything I had smelled before.
Tasting the Pernod neat (wink wink) was very good! Although the alcohol was sharp to the nose it was subdued on the toungue by the rush of alpine flavors.

Bringing the glass under the fountain the louche began almost immediately. The seductive scent of the bouquet was brilliant and as the others can attest filled the room! The louche was a lot stronger than any of us had expected. There were beautiful gradient lines in the glass that swirled around until the final stage of louche became very opaque. The bouquet was lovely, even with my head cold I could feel the heavy fragrance in the air. There was a rich musky floral character that I have not witnessed in any other CO or HG out there! This was indeed one of a kind.

As I mentioned earlier I had a slight head cold so I admit I may have missed some of the subtle flavors and aromas but I think over all I have a good grasp of the predominant character. From what I remember the taste was balanced and herbal. No overpowering anise or fennel! Take that you Anise bitches and Fennel whores! The lingering quality on the palate hung around forever! Much longer than any CO out there. The biggest surprise to me was the bitter finish!!! Of all the rumors and speculation I will say that there "is" a slight bitter quality to vintage Pernod. The mouth feel was another big surprise, it had the consistancy of milk! It was very heavy and rich in the mouth.

I am glad that I had the chance to sample vintage Pernod Fils. It was much different than I had imagined and I will say that there is nothing out there like it.

I forgot about the neat tasting. Yes, that was a wonderful accident!

Wasn't it!

It's amazing how two (or four) people can taste the same thing and come to different conclusions. I tasted a much stronger fennel than I had expected, and that I'd been led to expect by other quality absinthes, and it made me wonder whether the anise flavor had deteriorated somewhat and left the fennel more prominent. This wasn't bad at all, of course, just not what I'd thought. And, like I just remarked in the Fee Verte thread, I did not expect to taste something like angelica in the Pernod Fils. I say "something like", because of course I'm guessing, and it could just be the difference between wormwood harvested at the right time (to get the sweetness of its flowers) and settling for the wormwood available now through commercial sources.

The fennel did not seem to me to be in the forefront, but I do know what you mean. I wonder how much of the herbs flavor comes from the soil in which they were grown or the time in which they were harvested?

I recall those notes of angelica that you mentioned, I think I was just as surprised! The baby powder quality of the anise makes me wonder again if it is due to its age, the location where it was grown, and or the time of year it was harvested. Could it be that this was a different type of anise?

I am glad that we are going to get another vintage tasting soon! It will be nice to attend this one with out the head cold!

Just cause you've had a fennel whore deep down inside, doesn't make you one.

Yeah, I think I heard the Jaws music when she walked into the room.

Thanks for the great discriptive reviews (ya lucky bastids)! I'll probably never get the chance to try vintage myself -- it may be just as well if it's that good as it might spoil my appreciation of the modern. Still, it would be educational.

Sampleing Pernod Fils has in no way spoiled my appreciation for modern absinthe.

What, this little ole thing. It's just a flesh wound.

Damn, Dinky. That looks like a crotch punch that missed. Oh wait are those teeth marks?

She may have been small, but she was determined to hurt him.

Was I merely blacked out, like 75% of
the weekend, or passed out when this
occured?

I'm guessing blacked out.
You were there.
In the same room.
Pointing and laughing like the rest of us.

I barely remember it.

In fact, I didn't even realize I'd been bitten until someone reminded me the next day. I thought it was just another bruise from our Pike st. skirmish.

I'm a bit nervous about the next full moon.

I don't remember the Pike St. skirmish
either. Just found bloody elbows, cut
chin and splinters in my hand, twisted
glasses.

You *know* what happens to the knight after that line, right?

Love the pictures, you lucky bastards. And allready another tasting, where are you finding all this vintage?

The ADN Pontalier was very good as well, as was the BAMA. I had a few glasses of each last weekend. If there is any possibility of procuring a bottle for further review I'd love a PM.

I'd have to agree, tasting HG kind of ruins you for most of the commercial, but tasting vintage is really just an awesome experience, that in no way takes away from what some of these HGers are doing right now.

Sam's Club.

I knew it.

Hey, Sam's is cheaper than Butty's.

I know where some of that vintage came from , and it was cheap! Less than 50$ a shot. I'm not telling. Wild horses will not drag it out of me.

None shall pass.