Vintage C.F. Berger Absinthe ca.1890-1900

Vintage Berger Absinthe alongside modern recreation Absinthe Verte Suisse by Jade Liquors. Berger sample from Oxygenee! Thanks David!

Vintage C.F. Berger 1890-1900

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COLOR BEFORE WATER 9/10
The color of the Berger sample was lovely!  It was a pleasant shade of amber and although it did not contain any trace of the original green it still looked quite stunning.  I did find the color to be rather different from the various samples of Edouard Pernod and Pernod Fils that I have had in the past.  The Berger was in contrast to the Pernod much lighter and had a charming warm glow to it.  I would love to see what shade of green this was before the original color faded!

LOUCHE ACTION 9/10
After placing my glass under the fountain the louche began slowly.  Gradually as more water was added, a small cloud formed at the bottom of the glass and was soon lifted to the top revealing a thick louche crowned by a beautiful translucent amber band.  Watching the Berger louche alongside the Jade Verte Suisse I was impressed to see that they louched almost identically to one another, which leads me to believe that Mr. Breaux is in fact using the same recipe.  I noticed the same thing while louching Edouard Pernod along side Jade Edouard.

COLOR AFTER WATER 8/10
The final stage of the louche was very thick and it became a nice shade of foggy amber.

AROMA 29/30
To quote Mr. Hartsmarthis Is the garden!  I believe his every word.  The scent of the Berger was wonderful!  The bouquet was impressive and it did in fact fill the room with its fragrant floral aroma.  I could definitely detect the unique scent of aged hyssop in this sample.  This scent has been described as a dusky aroma that is similar to talc or baby powder. To me it seems similar to the sent of a light cinnamon.  There were lovely notes of aged anis and wormwood that had come out boldly along with other warm spices.  Absolutely wonderful!  The Berger had a rich musky/spicy character that I have not witnessed in any other modern absinthe! 

MOUTH-FEEL 9/10
Not as thick as the Pernod Fils, but still nice and creamy! 

TASTE 18/20
This was a damn good absinthe!  I would drink this and Pernod Fils exclusively if I could!  They are both amazing and quite a bit different when compared to one another.  The Berger was, spicy, herbal, and very floral.  All in all it was very complex yet it was so well balanced. After water had been added there were absolutely no overpowering flavors. The unification of flavors made it difficult to pick out any ingredients that are not commonly used in Swiss or French absinthe. The anise and fennel were paired well with good wormwood and I could detect notes that reminded me of cinnamon, pepper, coriander, along with hints of citrus. Although I found that the Berger was definitely on par with Pernod Fils I did notice very distinct differences in the way that their flavors were balanced.  I found the Berger to be a bit spicier than the Pernod.  Perhaps the Berger used a little more star anise and a little less fennel? All in all I felt that the Berger was amazing!   The lingering quality on the palate lasted forever! Much longer than any commercial or clandestine out there, an hour after having a glass of Berger, the flavor still lingered on my palate!

OVERALL IMPRESSION 10/10
I am glad that I had the chance to sample vintage Berger. It was interesting doing a side by side comparison with its modern counterpart.  I found them to be similar in many ways in regard to quality but the flavor and aroma were a little different.  I think that the major differences were due to the age of the sample. I believe that if they were both bottled on the same date and stored well they would in fact taste nearly identical. One difference that set them apart to me would have to be the base alcohol.  I think that the process used in making the base alcohol for the Berger is quite different than the process used for the Verte Suisse.  The Berger does have over a hundred years of age on the Verte Suisse so I guess it is hard to make such speculations!

Total 92/100

Thank you Oxy for the Samples!

Berger, based in Couvet and Marseilles, was one of the largest and most popular producers. Their Swiss-style absinthe was
enormously popular in the south of France, and was also exported all over the world, especially to South America, where they,
rather than Pernod Fils, were the market leaders.