Jade 1901 Absinthe Supérieure

Appearance: (neat) Green-tinged 18 carat gold. (louched) Dark, thick milky-green that is so dense it looks like a milkshake. The louche is slow to start and magnificent to behold. Thick swirling trails appear from every drop of water, entwining and embroiling. When the cloudiness starts to show it swims into focus from numerous points in the liquid, eventually coalescing into a thick fog with a blanket of olive-gold surface oils. The oils are fully emulsified by about 1:3 dilution. Released aromas of anise and wormwood are particularly noticeable throughout this process. Aroma: A rich, intoxicating bouquet of spring flowers and herbs. It has a pungent wildflower personality with a heady fennel and anise component. There are also bold, intense aromas more associated with spice-forward curries and tagines - curry leaf, cardamom seed, cumin, liquorice, fenugreek, tamarind and anise. These are enlivened by brighter aromas of peppermint, spearmint, oil of wintergreen and lemon sorbet. The complexity is remarkable. It has the woody, herbal quality displayed by all good absinthe but the presentation in this case is particularly subtle and light of touch. A wooded frisson applied to a citrus/spice persona. Flavour: The entry is sweet, bitter, spicy, slightly astringent and numbing. The profile is a balance of fennel, green anise and wormwood with supporting herbal complexity that suggests pine-forests and dark, moist earth. There is a little saltiness and a bright resinous note almost like juniper. The texture is lush and oily and the aftertaste is exceptionally long and focused on the anise and wormwood with an almost black jellybean/liquorice flavor. Half an hour after finishing a glass I can still clearly taste the complex array of flavours on the palate. Stunning. Initially I tasted this when the surface oils had just absorbed, at about 1:3 dilution. At that point it was explosively intense and flooded the palate with flavor, but subsequent sips became almost overbearing. Experienced absentheurs will probably like it at this point but I added more ice water and took it to about 1:5 dilution. At this point it was much friendlier but still presented a huge personality. This peerless work of art was the second product created by Ted Breaux based on his analysis of 19th century absinthe samples. In this case the absinthes came from Pernod bottles and Mr Breaux's final product is as close as most of us will ever get to fin de siècle Pernod Fils absinthe. Enthusiasts and critics who have had the singular fortune of tasting genuine pre-ban Pernod absinthe are agreed that this expression bears a strong similarity to the original article and I weep tears of joy that I am blessed with even a simulacrum of the original. Jade 1901 is produced entirely by hand in small batches at Distillerie Combier in Saumur. The stills used are the original 19th century Pernod Fils stills from Pontarlier which were bought by Combier in 1920 after the absinthe ban came into effect. Ted Breaux used to produce every batch personally but I believe he has now entrusted ongoing production to the distillery. The base spirit is grape marc and the new absinthe is aged for three years in oak casks before being bottled. It is a naturally coloured verte absinthe but I’m uncertain at which point the colour (derived from nettle maceration) is added. This is not an absinthe that I would drink every day, just as I would not drink Octomore or Caroni every day. This is an intense experience to savour and respect when you have time and are in the right mood. It is another wonderful absinthe from the Jade portfolio that I can enthusiastically recommend. If you are serious about investigating the glorious world of absinthe you NEED to taste this. “Outstanding” : 96/100 (5 stars)