Absinthe was banned in France in 1914. Nevertheless, Pernod kept on producing Absinthe in their Spanish Pernod SA factory in Tarragona. This was legally possible, as Absinthe was never banned in Spain. The original French pre-ban recipe was used for the Spanish Pernod SA Absinthe and production was running till the outbreak of World War II in 1939. After the war, Pernod produced once again Absinthe in Tarragona (1950-1970), but they slightly modified the recipe. The Pernod SA bottle we offer for sale is from 1936 to 1938. During this time the bottles had the characteristic blue-green color and the thicker glass stamp with the Pernod SA writing in the inside.
The bottle is in excellent condition, meaning that it has a very high filling level, an intact neck-foil and original labels complete with only minor scuffing. Pernod Fils is the classic Absinthe of the Belle Époque, the benchmark by which all others are judged. Bottles in such pristine condition are extremely rare. A very desirable object and definitely an investment for the future. Owning such a well-preserved bottle is reserved to only a few people in the world. As Pernod didn't change the recipe in the early phase, this Pernod SA Absinthe is very close to the pre-ban versions from France.
Pernod Fils, the history of the iconic Absinthe brand
Pernod Fils was the most popular brand of Absinthe throughout the 19th century until the Green Fairy was banned in France in 1914. During the late 19th century, the Pernod Fils name became synonymous with Absinthe. The brand represented the standard of quality by which all other brands were judged. The beginning of this very special brand can be traced as far back as the 1790s. It was during this time in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, that Dr. Pierre Ordinaire created a distilled patent medicine that would represent the earliest origins of the Green Fairy.
The recipe then came into the hands of Henri Louis Pernod through the means of a business deal, and in 1797, he and Daniel Henri Dubied opened the first Absinthe distillery in Couvet, Switzerland. Now, they began to commercialize Dr. Ordinaires medicine to a world known spirit. Pernod later built a larger distillery in Pontarlier, France, in 1805. This set the stage that would cause the sleepy community of Pontarlier to eventually emerge as the home of twenty-eight commercial Absinthe distilleries, and the world's center of Absinthe production.
