When we introduced, in 2018, our replica of the world’s oldest commercially manufactured absinthe, the Dubied – Žufánek, we said it was a one-off, limited offer to celebrate a rare find and the 220th anniversary of the founding the first absinthe distillery. This still holds true. This is not Dubied!

I now think I should repeat the story for all those not yet familiar with things Dubied.

So…

In 2018, a bottle was found, a bottle of the same stuff which started the absinthe era that
dominated France for two hundred years. It was made by Major Dubied in the Swiss village of Couvet. The bottle went to a museum and is on public display. Well, there were two bottles, and samples were taken from the second. We got to taste it, and then presented a replica of the absinthe, causing a major stir on the market.

This January, another bottle of Dubied’s was found by a rich family that only noticed it after the media blitz following last year’s find. And I felt it my civic duty to buy the bottle and place it in our archive. Its new spiritual home.

A day before the bottle came here we distilled a continuation of the Dubied saga. Using a recipe identical to the one we used for last year’s replica, we constructed it on a wholly different foundation.

Marc de Champagne!

For over three years, I have fully devoted myself to tasting grower Champagne wines and got hooked on them (L’Fleur bar, Champaigner, thanks a lot!). Last year, I bought grape pomace of Chardonnay, blanc de blancs, if you will, from a Grand Cru grape grower. Pomace is the solid remains of pressed grapes, full of flavourful elements and grape sugar. Italians use it to distil grappa, the French to make Marc.

And is there a better way to celebrate the beauty of the oldest absinthe than with champagne?

This is not Dubied captures the magic of Dubied’s recipe and colouring technique, but on a basis Dubied himself didn’t get a chance to use.

It is not Dubied, yet it is Dubied. The same, but different.

We will make the bottles available for sale towards the end of 2019.

You will be delighted!

Ceci n’est pas un Dubied!