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Intro: GStone


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Greetings all,

I was very pleased to have been directed to this forum.

My name is Gwydion Stone and I'm a Cincinnati expatriate living in Seattle. I've been here going on 20 years.

I'm the founder and administrator of The Wormwood Society, the American absinthe association founded in 2004. My passionate interest in absinthe led me to study its traditional manufacture, and of course that led me to a desire to create my own. So I started Gnostalgic Spirits, Ltd., with the intent to focus on 19th century style spirits, bitters, etc.

Last year my brand, Marteau, was launched in Switzerland where I've commissioned it to be made at a small artisanal distillery. I'll soon begin production here in the states myself, which as you might imagine is a lot more fulfilling. With any luck and a smooth COLA, that'll happen in a few weeks.

I'm also somewhat involved with Tales of the Cocktail, an annual culinary and cocktail event in New Orleans. This year Tales and the Wormwood Society will be co-producing a Green Hour (absinthe cocktail party). I highly recommend it if you haven't been. It's a really fun event with interesting seminars, wonderful food and drinks and it's a great place to meet industry folks and do some networking.

Cheers! abs-cheers.gif

Gwydion

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Sure, for my customary consultant fee of $10,000. ;)

What kind of questions did you have in mind? The general information can be found in the FAQ at the Wormwood Society site. I'd start there.

As for producing, here are a few tips: I'd recommend becoming very familiar with what absinthe actually was, and is, before starting. Know the real history and character of the spirit and the milieu in which it was drunk, not just its unsavory reputation. I personally think that having actually tasted pre-ban absinthe should be a requirement for new makers, otherwise, how can you know where you're aiming? Imagine making bourbon without having tasted it. There are a lot of guys eager to take their money buckets to the absinthe well right now, but from what I can tell, few of them seem to be approaching it with any previous real experience of the drink.

Absinthe is a lot like gin in its production method, only with different botanicals. Also like gin, it's a specific class of spirit (not defined in the CFR yet, unfortunately) and is supposed to have a particular flavor profile: wormwood-flavored anise. Throwing a bunch of random herbs together with wormwood, even if it's tasty, does not an absinthe make.

One of the toughest battles WS is fighting is to preserve the integrity of the category.

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Sure, for my customary consultant fee of $10,000. ;)

What kind of questions did you have in mind? The general information can be found in the FAQ at the Wormwood Society site. I'd start there.

As for producing, here are a few tips: I'd recommend becoming very familiar with what absinthe actually was, and is, before starting. Know the real history and character of the spirit and the milieu in which it was drunk, not just its unsavory reputation. I personally think that having actually tasted pre-ban absinthe should be a requirement for new makers, otherwise, how can you know where you're aiming? Imagine making bourbon without having tasted it. There are a lot of guys eager to take their money buckets to the absinthe well right now, but from what I can tell, few of them seem to be approaching it with any previous real experience of the drink.

Absinthe is a lot like gin in its production method, only with different botanicals. Also like gin, it's a specific class of spirit (not defined in the CFR yet, unfortunately) and is supposed to have a particular flavor profile: wormwood-flavored anise. Throwing a bunch of random herbs together with wormwood, even if it's tasty, does not an absinthe make.

One of the toughest battles WS is fighting is to preserve the integrity of the category. I charge more than that! I agree with everything you said, and we may try an absinthe but we have a lot of studying to do yet.

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