Absinthe Marteau and Gnostalgic Distillery

[AFO]

enough to make you ... set your mother on fire, obscene.

 

 

I thought you said an obscene amount

 

 

I kid I kid...

[Joe Legate]

Order placed: a couple for the bar and a couple for the cellar.

 

 

[Songcatcher]

Enjoying an excellent glass of Marteau after Thanksgiving dinner. This is one that, like the Jades I prefer at lower dilutions. 2.5/1 seems my particular sweet spot. To make an absinthe that doesn't have to be drowned in water to make it appealing is an applaud to the distiller. Some need a lot of dilution, some don't. And the Marteau is one that is flexible in that department. The spicy notes make a nice after dinner drink and goes really good with punkin' pie. I will continue to buy this along with the other quality domestic absinthes as often as my limited available funds will allow.

[Todd]

This is the next bottle I have had my eye on. From what I have read in the reviews, I am very excited.

[billnchristy]

I have to say, this is one smooooooooth operator. You, sir, are a master.

 

I'm going to have to try a lower dilution, I usually set things up based on abv and since this is so high I go 5-1.

[hengeraven]

Congrats! Keep us posted as the project develops! Will you be attending adi this April?

[Gwydion Stone]

Not sure about ADI, maybe. We'll have to see how things shape up in the next couple months.

 

I have to say, this is one smooooooooth operator. You, sir, are a master.

 

I'm going to have to try a lower dilution, I usually set things up based on abv and since this is so high I go 5-1.

 

Thanks for your kind words. I actually do recommend 5:1 right on the bottle. Although I acknowledge that everyone has their personal preferences, classic absinthe was generally consumed at around 12% abv, so that's how I formulated Marteau. IMHO, an absinthe that doesn't stand up to being diluted to 12% is probably somewhat short on herbs.

[billnchristy]

I enjoy it at 5-1 best. Tried it lower and it was good but a little harsh to me.

 

Needless to say, this bottle is settling in and has gotten even better. Love it.

[Manray]

I recently acquired my first bottle of Marteau and tried it a couple of days ago. Well done sir! I initially ran with 4:1, but at my next session with it I'll step it up to 5:1.

[fingerpickinblue]

Read the paragraph here that starts with "Another very interesting and informative practice for anyone new to absinthe" You can try several dilutions in one glass. If you're really nerdy and want to know how to go from exact dilution ratio to exact dilution ratio, PM me.

[Mat B.]

On my 'next' list! I still have a bottle of Marteau from the old European line sitting unopened on my shelf I'm saving for a rainy day It's lonely and needs a brother or sister.

[Evan Camomile]

Some scruffy gentlemen of the Cult Moo Liquor Show made a

and actually did a decent job of it. Cheers!

[Bluewolf Pete]

A very colorful review! And a great comment afterward, Evan.

The only thing that made me really cringe was the close to 1-1 ratio.

But as they say, it's pretty effing good!

[King_Stannis]

Had my first taste of Marteau this weekend. A very rich and fantastic brand. Three glasses went down very quick and very easily. I liked it even better than the Jade NO.

 

Well done Gwydion.

[Quartermaster James]

When do you expect we'll see it in Oregon again?

[Gwydion Stone]

Thanks, Stannis, glad you liked it.

 

James, sorry about the delays with Oregon. We got caught up with the hassles of getting back into NY and DC. If you stop in at your preferred store, you can ask them to special order it and the OLCC will get in touch with me. If you create pull, I can create some push, and maybe something will actually budge.

[Gwydion Stone]

After the comments in the other thread I decided to post the recent Gnostalgic Spirits newsletter here to help folks understand the recent changes with Marteau. For the more visually oriented, I've also created a visual aid.

For some time I've wanted to introduce an absinthe that would remain true to Marteau's original formula, but which would be more economical for the average consumer, so I've made a few changes that have created room for another, more affordable, Marteau absinthe.

This week I'm releasing a new super-premium product—Marteau Master's Reserve—a gold-labeled elixir that will sell at the same price as the current product. The first batch will be shipped this week and will be available at our online retailers, DrinkUpNY.com, Catskill Cellars, and AstorWines.com, and local Washington State retailers, within two weeks.

Then, there's a new version of Marteau Belle Époque (the familiar blue and white label) made with grain spirits and which should retail at around 40% less than the price of the current product. This will replace the current product and go into production in May. If you're a big fan of the current Belle Époque, you may want to stock up now, because my stock is entirely depleted and there won't be any further production.

 

For those interested in the finer details of this transition:

When I created Marteau, I was determined to make no compromises in making a product that was 100% faithful to the style and content of the very best absinthes made in the pre-ban era, as based on distillers' documents from the 1800s and other research, like tasting actual pre-ban absinthe and letting my palate be my guide. As it turned out, it cost a lot more to make than I had anticipated when I embraced that ideal. Still, I don't want to abandon an accurate and high-quality absinthe simply for the sake of affordability.

The things that makes Marteau so costly are a contract-grown, proprietary strain of absinthium wormwood which has an amazing flavor and aroma, and the grape spirits base, which is essentially a very high-proof eau de vie. These each cost around 4 to 5 times more than the materials other brands use.

The recipe itself will remain unchanged for both of the new labels; only the commodity sources will change. These are the actual differences between the products:

• The currently-sold product has a grape spirits base and a blend of the proprietary and wildcrafted absinthium wormwoods.

• The new Master's Reserve has a grape spirits base, and only the proprietary wormwood. I'll be growing other botanicals myself this year as well, such as the petite wormwood and the lemon balm.

• The new Belle Époque will have a grain spirits base, which is the industry standard for liqueurs. It will also use botanicals sourced from both the USA and Europe, but not the costly proprietary wormwood.

In addition, by late summer or before, both labels will be available in 357ml half-size bottles.

Look for Marteau at PROOF Washington Distillers Festival this June where we'll be sampling both new absinthes!

Cheers!
Gwydion Stone

 

[JosephLabrecque]

Having my first glass of the current (old) Belle Époque and it is amazing! This is the type of absinthe that really gets me excited! Incredible - cannot wait to sample the new product(s).

 

Gotta say that Marteau, Ridge (Vilya), and Pacifique will most likely become permanent stock in my absinthe cabinet from here out. Absolutely wonderful.

[Bluewolf Pete]

[speedle]

I can't wait to try both! :D

[h2on0]

Any idea where I could purchase these in southern California? Particularly, L.A./Inland Empire/Palm Springs? I guess even Az. because I have friends who could pick it up for me and for that matter the O.C.

 

thanks

[AndrewMTO]

I will be in Phoenix this August and will be ordering a bottle to be shipped to where I am staying. It will be from one of the above mentioned online sellers. We have very little choice in Ontario so I use my trips to the US to buy some of the makes you folks talk about. Since I will be allowed to bring two bottles into Canada, I think I will also purchase either a bottle of Vieux Carée or Vieux Pontarlier with it.

[AndrewMTO]

I will be in Phoenix this August and will be ordering a bottle to be shipped to where I am staying. It will be from one of the above mentioned online sellers. We have very little choice in Ontario so I use my trips to the US to buy some of the makes you folks talk about. Since I will be allowed to bring two bottles into Canada, I think I will also purchase either a bottle of Vieux Carée or Vieux Pontarlier with it.

Just wanted to let you know that I ordered a bottle of your Master's Reserve along with a bottle of Vieux Pontarlier to arrive now that I am in Arizona. I ordered them from Astor Wines in New York, taking advantage of their introductory free ground shipping for first order over $99.

 

I expect to buy a bottle of Vieux Carré and some Peychauds bitters from Total Wines in Scottsdale before I go home.

 

Although I hate vacations ending, I will now have something to look forward to when it ends and I am at home and trying them.

 

They will have the place of honour beside my Lucid (one of the few decent absinthes that I can get from the LCBO in Ontario) and my (head hung in shame) La Fée.

[gee13]

Im curious as to the grain based vs grape based formula. Were the traditional vertes distilled with grape base predominantly? What do the majority of vertes in todays market use as a base. Could you please explain a little more to someone curious Gwydion? or any other distillers on here? What difference does it make to flavour, texture? etc

[TheLoucheyMonster!]

Here is a thread about base spirits from not too long ago.

http://wormwoodsociety.org/forums/topic/7269-base-alcohol-choice/

[gee13]

Cheers louchey sorry to detract from the thread. On another note has there been much discussion about the masters gold label compared to the blue label?

[Gwydion Stone]

Not yet. The new "blue label" grain-based product hasn't been released yet. The similar label that's been used for the last five years is made with a grape base. The Master's Reserve "gold label" product is virtually the same as the "old" Marteau, but with a more wormwood-forward character, since it uses a more distinct variety of absinthium.

[Joe Legate]

Im curious as to the grain based vs grape based formula. Were the traditional vertes distilled with grape base predominantly? What do the majority of vertes in todays market use as a base. Could you please explain a little more to someone curious Gwydion? or any other distillers on here? What difference does it make to flavour, texture? etc

Grape base was the more common absinthe foundation 100+ years ago. Why? It was plentiful. There were examples of grain base and sugar beet base just as there are now. Today, grain base is the more common foundation because it is plentiful. Is there a difference between absinthe made with various bases? Yes, but how much difference depends on a number of things: how well was the base originally made and how well was the absinthe constructed, largely. Consider by example vodka made with different bases: grain, potato, whatev... If the vodka is rectified well, there should not be any difference (theoretically speaking since vodka is supposedly odorless and flavorless) but the difference is notable in flavor, aroma and mouth feel. The same should be true of absinthe made with different bases and the difference should be even less noticeable with that massive herb bill cluttering up the subtle base differences. But in fact, most of us would agree that the difference is quite noticeable in the same way as the vodka example.

[Gwydion Stone]

Yep. What he said.

[autopsy]

Someone had a few too many making labels:

 

https://cdn.mediacru.sh/452qNFy4eV24.jpe