Absinthe Ben

Yes, so long as we all understand it should not be a concrete pre-requisite for all generations to come I think we're on the same page. Speedle's suggestion of having an extensive background of tasting experience will of course play an important role in determining the style of absinthe as well. As another note, I just read through the forums at Fee Verte regarding Edward III. I suggest you all do the same, as you're not getting the whole story until you do...

I think it is a good idea. It makes people fully consider what they are posting before doing so, and forces them to take accountability for their words. I think ours is a bit lenient, a day or two, but I'll have to look it over and narrow it myself. What is it normally?

I'm sorry, I just can't go along with this. We all know vintage absinthe will only be around so long. What will you tell the new producers in 10 or 20 years that may not be able to obtain a sample? "Despite a quality product, you're not qualified to be an absinthe producer"? Though for the record, I think Bill is probably being the most fair about this given his follow-up statement.

Welcome Edward. Unlike Mark, all of the conversations I've had with you in particular have proved to me that you are a good, honest fellow that has never claimed to be a grand master of absinthe production. I sincerely wish I could say the same about your business partner. This makes me very sad. If you were not the founder and only a top position in the company I'd have suggested to Edward that he fire you immediately. That would be a very, very good idea. Realize that all the bridges that have been burned by your carelessness you are not just hurting yourself, but are equally crippling and alienating your business partners (who, as far as I can tell, have a much different agenda than you). If I were Edward, I would be on the lookout to join a new company. If I were your partners doing the actual production I'd be looking over the contract searching for any loophole to get out of it. I think FPB put it very well:

Edited after reading Edward's much more sensible posts in the thread next door...

Late to the party again. :( For someone that I now see is such a pure marketeer, you sure don't know how to do your job, Mark. As someone in the same business as you (and even with less experience in my case), you make some pretty awful mistakes: 1.) No tact. You're laying on that sales pitch thicker than crunchy peanut butter. People tire of this very quickly, and it sounds entirely unnatural, especially in a forum environment. 2.) Low blows. As you can see from the response of drosstogold (among others), insulting your customers and competitors will get you nowhere. That loose cannon of a mouth you have is a serious liability to you and all those involved with your business. 3.) Poor grammar. As Gwydion mentioned, regardless of your age you seem like a whiny teenager that can't tell his little finger from his ass right now. 4.) Dishonesty. Your foot is so full of holes I don't know how you can stand. I could cite each lie, but I don't have 20 minutes to spare rounding them all up. You also mentioned that you're not a distiller. So you're not a distiller and you don't know the first thing about marketing a product or public relations. What exactly do you do, then? That's pretty revealing information. Are you sure your business partner would want you revealing something like that? This also would explain the particularly hard sell right off the bat. More understandable knowing your situation, but that still doesn't excuse even a fraction of the things you've said or done. Agreed. Too late...

Sorry, Ben I like you too much for that. Oops, I left out the words "a text", didn't I? Probably because I don't text, Twitter, Facebook, , You Tube, IPOD, IPHONE, or any of Ali G's New-fangled techomological wonders of the last decade...hell, if it weren't for Tish, I wouldn't even have had a 'puter, and I never would have had the opportunity to meet all these fine folks. Yes, now you all know on whom to place the blame. If Meadow of Love ever ceases production you have my permission to shoot me. You know, your non-use of social networking and other technical stuff got me thinking, so I did a little clicking around on Google and lookie here: >>Best way to get in touch with someone.<< I am so trying this out...

Eh, it's over? Dammit, I love getting push alerts indicating new opposing arguments. Absomphe, shoot me a text next time, will ya? Thx In all seriousness, there's not much to say here that wouldn't open the door for another round of disagreements, but I'm glad it is now settled to the point that a conscious effort is being made by both parties to compromise and improve. Both Brian/Gwydion and Peridot had completely valid concerns, and despite not seeing eye-to-eye it seems this discussion has shed some light on where members stand. That sort of insight is always valuable, so while this discussion meant a good deal of time was invested for all involved, I think we all have a better idea of how to proceed from here. If there's one thing I've gleaned from this thread personally, it's that even I have admittedly dropped the ball with Absinthe Review when the promised User Reviews did not materialize. While much of this was attributed to my technical ignorance, with the Mafia's permission to mimic their survey-based review submissions last month I have no excuse. Thank you peridot; although indirectly, you have given me enough of a nudge to wake up and see that if anyone has been neglecting the significance of user input, it's probably been me. And for many users at all the various forums that may have read this thread, I think it will give them encouragement to take their reviews more seriously knowing the volume of potential imbibers it may influence. I'm sure most of us are already aware of the thousands of non-registered visitors that frequent the major absinthe sites each month, but sometimes hearing it again is a welcome reminder of what an impact even a single review or forum post can have. You know what? With all this meaningful reflection and whatnot I'd say we're winners all around. Maybe just fucks! Dunno about the rest of 'em, but I'll take the title of being a fuck. Cheers to all, and happy new year, fellow fucks.

Good to hear you folks had a great, safe (from the sound of it, at least!) new year! Bill, I must second Ron's push to louche up a glass of Essai 4. I wasn't so lucky as you folks sadly, as I ended up getting sick and canceling my plans. I had a fever today as well, so I will have to make a doctor's appointment soon. :(

Very true (and very unfortunate). However, things are changing one bar at a time, with a new landmark reached at Hemingway bar in Prague thanks to Habu and his hard-workin' Mafia crew : http://realabsinthe.blogspot.com/2009/12/a...ate-2009-7.html

Shame that after releasing such a great video as the anti-Bohemian one they will now need to publicly apologize to the water. Personally I just pour in some Red Bull of course, so these are of no use to me.

Good question. The burnt smell really floods the room when a sugar cube is flamed, so I'm sure it's not good to inhale all that. I hope after they filmed that they opened a window. It did look very nasty, didn't it? Repulsive, in fact. That said, the video has certainly done its job. I'd like to second heavyharpoon's thumbs up. As I stated earlier, this transition is a very slow process, so we discussed what could be done in the meantime, and this was decided on as the next step. Mike did not mention how soon they would film the new preparation videos, but I'm glad to hear they are now online. So far, he has followed through on his word 100%, and I trust he will be willing to sit down soon and look over what else could be reasonably accomplished going into 2010.

Looking forward to it, GB. I just realized; I haven't seen my half-empty bottle since I moved in October. Lost during moving?? :(

I'm dedicating my intoxication to the day of your birth tonight, man. Cheers!

Not one, but TWO testimonials on this? These are such encouraging stories to hear guys, especially in this jolly time of year! Jack, I had no idea you had such a condition, but it does my heart good to know that something you love is an alternative to synthetic drugs. I'll drink to that!