On August 11th 1901, lightning struck the Pernod Fils Distillery in Pontarlier. If it were not for the quick thinking of two workers who opened the spigots on the giant barrels of absinthe, allowing it to drain into the Doubs River, the destruction could have been much more serve. When the distillery was rebuilt and repaired, out-dated alambics were replaced by the most modern equipment of the time. The old alambics were either destroyed by the fire and sold for scrap or sold off to smaller distilleries. The Combier Distillery purchased two of these 1100 liter stills and installed them along with the 8 smaller stills which had been a part of the distillery since 1894. The importance of this history and especially the authenticity of these two circa 1870’s alambics were not overlooked when Ted Breaux chose the Combier Distillery in which to make Jade vintage absinthes clones.

Finally, after 3 years of remarkable absinthes which Breaux has made at Combier, the
long awaited Jade version of the most famous absinthe ever made, Pernod Fils, has
arrived! Christened Jade Absinthe ‘PF 1901’ its unusual name is in recognition of the anniversary of the year that gave the old Pernod alambics a new life. A huge amount of work and original research has gone into the creation of this product. Since the beginning of the Jade project, techniques have been improved upon as Breaux has become more familiar with the intricacies of the old 19th century alambics, and plants sources have been upgraded where ever possible. All the wormwood used in the PF 1901 comes from new plantings in Pontarlier, regarded as the source of the finest wormwood, and of course the origin for the wormwood that went into all the great classic absinthes of the 19th century. Breaux’s Jade absinthes are the first modern absinthes made outside of Pontarlier to use its wormwood, and its highly aromatic qualities are immediately apparent. PF 1901 is a classic ‘old-school’ absinthe, balanced and crisp, with an appetizing herbal aroma and a smooth, lingering aftertaste. It's interesting to compare this product with the extraordinary recently discovered cache of 76 bottles of pre-ban Pernod Fils absinthe (now available at the Virtual Absinthe Museum). These bottles are all extremely well preserved, but a few are in an absolutely remarkable state of preservation, retaining their original color and freshness. Those who have been fortunate enough to have been able to taste these and who have also tasted the pre-release Jade PF 1901, have been unanimous in remarking on the striking similarities between the vintage bottles and the Jade clone.




In the late 19 century, the house of Edouard Pernod boasted a reputation for crafting some of the best absinthe the world has ever known. First established at Couvet, Switzerland, then later Pontarlier, France, the Edouard Pernod distillery boasted eight alambics and produced almost 300,000 liters of absinthe annually. At the time of the ban, Edouard Pernod had become the 3rd largest absinthe distiller in France and was considered one of the very finest marques. Based on careful analysis of samples drawn from one of the very few survivng pre-ban bottles, Jade Edouard seeks to duplicate all aspects of the original, from its delicate green colour to its refined texture and delightfully aromatic finish.


absinthe classics